PCA secretary asks Yuvraj Singh to come out of retirement

Mohali, Aug 15: Puneet Bali, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary, has requested former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to come out of retirement.

Bali has urged Yuvraj to play in the upcoming domestic season for the state and he is now awaiting a response from the former India all-rounder, ESPNCricinfo reported.

"These boys were all undergoing sessions with our physios and trainers to prepare for the season. Yuvraj initiated sessions with these boys while he was in Chandigarh. Over the last couple of seasons, we have lost players to other states, many of our players to Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Himachal. So, we felt a player of Yuvraj's experience and calibre could lend a lot of value and inspire the youngsters," ESPNCricinfo quoted Bali as saying.

"The request I made was for him to consider playing all formats. But if he comes back and says he is available only for limited-overs cricket, for some reason, that will be fine too. I am looking forward to hearing from him soon. But as such, he is been working hard with the boys," he said.

Over the last few years, Punjab has lost a number of its main players such as Manan Vohra and Barinder Sran, who qualified to play for Chandigarh as locals.

However, coming back from retirement may not be easy for Yuvraj as he has played in overseas leagues as Global T20 Canada and Abu Dhabi T10 league.

As per protocols, BCCI only gives NOCs for foreign leagues once the player announces retirement from Indian cricket.

The PCA is also set to offer state contracts to their players and they are likely to come into force from October 1.

On June 10 last year, Yuvraj had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The stylish left-handed batsman called time on his career after having almost 20 years of experience in international cricket.

The Chandigarh-born cricketer has marvelled the crowd across the world with his gravity-defying fielding abilities and effortless power-hitting.

With a career spanning over 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is and 40 Tests, Yuvraj cemented his place as a player who could win matches for his side either through his electric fielding, smart bowling or fierce batting.

Big events brought out the best in him -- be it his international cricket entry at 2000 ICC Champions Trophy, the mindblowing batting at inaugural 2007 World Twenty20 or the all-round performance at 2011 World Cup.