2011 World Cup and 2007 World T20 winner and one of the all-time ODI greats Yuvraj Singh is seriously mulling retirement from the game and is seeking a freelance career in T20 leagues approved by ICC. The Punjab south-paw will make a final decision after getting permission from the BCCI.

It has been learnt that Yuvraj has come to terms with the fact that he is unlikely to play for India. “Yuvraj is thinking of calling it quits from international and first-class cricket. He would like to speak to the BCCI and get more clarity on plying his trade in tournaments like GT20 (Canada), Euro T20 Slam in Ireland and Holland as he has offers,” a BCCI source privy to the development, told PTI on Sunday.

Yuvraj played for Mumbai Indians in this year’s IPL but didn’t get many chances which might have prompted him to seriously think about future plans. He feels that with Zaheer and Sehwag playing in the T-10 league, he can do the same with the league coming up in Holland and one in Canada.

However, the BCCI official said, “The T10 might have been approved by the ICC but it’s still not an acknowledged format. But yes, going forward, as and when the players association takes shape, the case for retired players may come up for consideration.”

Irfan Pathan had recently put his name in the draft of Caribbean Premier League, but without taking permission from BCCI, as he is still an active player.

“Irfan was told to withdraw his name from the draft. As far as Yuvraj is concerned, we need to check the rules. Even if he retires from first-class cricket, he will still be an active T20 player registered under BCCI. The rule needs to be checked,” a senior BCCI functionary said.

(PTI inputs)