IPL history: 6 franchises Yuvraj Singh has been a part of

Indian Premier League became a huge hit amongst the modern cricket fans since its inaugural season itself.

The first edition kicked off with 8 teams representing 8 different cities of India. Each franchise tried their best to get the top class players in their side who could help them win the title for them. The franchises tried their best to get a perfect team combination in the auction.

However, not every franchise could achieve the perfect combination. Thus, they released the under-performing players to either buy them at a cheaper price in the auction or to do away with them.

There have been players like Virat Kohli, Lasith Malinga, Sachin Tendulkar who have played for just 1 IPL franchise in IPL history. On the other hand, there have also been few players who have played for almost all IPL franchises so far.

One of the biggest players who has been a part almost all IPL franchises is Yuvraj Singh. He has been like a rolling stone who has been a part of 6 franchises so far in the history of IPL. Such 6 franchises are:

#1 Kings XI Punjab (2008-10, 2018)

Kings XI Punjab was the first franchise for which Yuvraj Singh played for.

During the first edition of Indian Premier League which took place in 2008, all the 8 franchises tried their best to get Yuvraj Singh in their side. One of the main reason behind this was his form in the 2007 WT20. Ultimately, Yuvi joined his home franchise, Kings XI Punjab.

He played 3 consecutive seasons for Punjab during which he scored 894 runs and even took 2 hat-tricks. But after this, KXIP released Yuvraj Singh as he was a part of the 2011 IPL auction.

However, in the year 2018, he made a comeback to his home franchise as the Kings XI bought him in the auction. During this season, he didn’t impress the fans and owners as he scored just 65 runs in 8 matches. Hence, once again KXIP released him.

#2 Pune Warriors India (2011-13)

Yuvraj Singh was elected as the captain of Pune Warriors India for IPL 2011

Pune Warriors India was the 2nd IPL franchise Yuvraj Singh had been a part of. After being dropped from the Punjab side, Yuvi was bought by the Pune based franchise in the year 2011 and was also elected as the captain of their side. One of the main reasons behind this was the form which Yuvraj had in the ICC World Cup 2011.

He smashed 343 runs in 14 matches that season but failed in terms of captaincy as Pune finished 9th on the table and were just ahead of Delhi Capitals. Singh did not play the next IPL season owing to his serious medical conditions.

The Punjab star made a roaring comeback to IPL in 2013 after beating cancer. However, he scored 238 runs in 13 matches which led to a downfall in his career. Pune did not play in the IPL after 2013, meaning that Singh was in the auction once again.

#3 Royal Challengers Banglore (2014)

Yuvraj was bought for a whopping amount of 14 crores by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014.

Despite his poor form, the IPL teams never lost their faith in Yuvraj Singh which clearly reflected in his contract amount for IPL 2014. The Royal Challengers Bangalore had trust in Yuvi’s ability as they bought him for a whopping amount of 14 crores for IPL 2014. This stunned the whole world as Singh’s bid became the costliest bid of 2014.

Yuvraj scored 376 runs from 14 matches in IPL 2014. But, the money invested in him by the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise went in vain as he didn’t deliver extraordinary performances. Statistically, Royal Challengers Bangalore incurred a cost of nearly 3 lakhs per run scored by Singh. Ultimately, RCB did not continue to take the same risk as they dropped Yuvi for the next season.

#4 Delhi Capitals (2015)

Yuvi played for Delhi Daredevils in the 8th edition of IPL.

Yuvraj Singh had proved to be a match winner for India pertaining to his performances in 2007 WT20 and 2011 ICC World Cup. However, just after 2011, things did not go right for him as he battled with his medical situations and had lost his form. But still, the IPL teams tried to invest in him as they still believed in the destructive powers of Singh.

With the same thinking, the Delhi Capitals submitted a bid of 16 crores to buy him for the 8th edition of IPL which took place in the year 2015. But, his poor form continued and Yuvi scored runs at an average of 19.07 in that season along with bowling just a few overs in the middle. He scored the total of 248 runs in that edition and this performance was certainly not up to the expectations of the Delhi management. Hence, it resulted in his release ahead of the next season.

#5 Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016-17)

Yuvraj Singh played 2 IPL seasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

After KXIP, PWI, RCB, and DD, Sunrisers Hyderabad became the next franchise of which Yuvraj Singh became a part of. After all the other franchises gave up on Singh, SRH was the franchise who bought him as they still had the faith in him.

Yuvraj performed better for the Hyderabad franchise as in 2017. He played 12 matches and scored 252 runs with his best innings of 70 not out in that edition. Singh even picked 1 wicket during this edition with his left-arm spin. The all-rounder even made a comeback to the Indian team.

Even though he had a good season for the Hyderabad team, the management released him as Singh once again entered the auction pool in 2018, where the Kings XI Punjab bought him.

#6 Mumbai Indians (2019)

Yuvraj Singh is all set to play for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019.

Mumbai Indians saved Yuvraj Singh from going unsold for the Indian Premier League 2019. When every other franchise was ignoring him during the auction, Mumbai emerged as the one who bought him as they still believed in him. Led by Rohit Sharma, Mumbai would be the 6th franchise of which Singh will be a part of.

This time, Yuvi will try to impress the Mumbai Indians with his skills and try to perform well in the IPL 2019. Singh himself has stated that he is excited to wear the blue jersey of Mumbai and to enter the field once again.

It looks like the 12th edition of IPL will be a good one for him as he has been in good form while playing for his home side in domestic tournaments. However, this will only be cleared when Yuvraj will play for the Mumbai franchise in IPL 2019.