IPL has nothing to do with water crisis: Yuvraj Singh

Mumbai: India's veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh on Thursday said that the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) should not be made responsible for the current water crisis in the state of Maharashtra, adding that the game must go on. The Bombay High Court recently directed to shift all Indian Premier League (IPL) matches after April 30 out of drought-hit Maharashtra. The state was originally scheduled to host 20 IPL matches in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. All the three cities are facing a severe water crisis. “I don’t think IPL has got to do anything with what the situations are in India. We play in a sport and try to excel in that. I don’t think there is any reason that IPL should not go on,” the 2007 World Twenty20 and 2011 World Cup winner said at the launch of sportswear company Puma’s bold Tricks collection here. “Regarding the permission, it is not my job to say anything, as my job as a cricketer is to play cricket. Whatever venue I go to play, whatever venue we are told to go to play, we will just go out and play,” the 34-year-old added. Yuvraj, who sustained an ankle injury while playing against Australia during the World T20, recently missed first three games for Hyderabad in the ninth edition of the IPL and is hopeful of returning to IPL action against Gujarat Lions on May 6.