Yuvraj Singh was in the last leg of his cricket career when he was bought by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019 auction. Singh, who played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2018 had a terrible tournament scoring 65 runs in 8 matches.
He had lots of expectations from the IPL 2019 as he wanted to make a last try for the Indian squad for the World Cup that year. He wished to end his career on a high and he began on a positive note with a half-century for MI against Delhi Capitals in the first game of the franchise.
However, he managed just 98 runs in 4 matches he played including that fifty, and was dropped from the playing XI soon after.
“See I did not have a good 2018 IPL so I thought that this (2019 edition) is my last IPL and I want to finish on a high and say goodbye. I was not really thinking about international cricket you know. Because Ambati Rayudu was playing in the number four spot and was doing well so I thought the team had moved on,” Yuvraj Singh told Sportskeeda in the chat show 'Free Hit'.
Yuvraj Singh posts his workout video; Mohammad Kaif wants him to throw a challenge
“So I really wanted to have a good IPL and then end my career. I started well in the IPL but it did not go well and there were young guys who were doing well," he added.
Yuvraj Singh is regarded as an all-time white-ball great winning the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup with the Indian team and playing a major role in both victories. He was also named the Player of the Tournament in the 2011 win at home.
However, he was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after the World Cup win and had to take a year off for treatment. He made full recovery and made a comeback into the team, but was never the same player due to fitness issues and inconsistent form.
"I have almost played 400 games for India. I was diagnosed with cancer at the peak of my career. So it was just that I was mostly satisfied and it was causing me a lot of stress mentally and I was not able to sleep properly and I wanted to be happy personally. So I realized that it was time to move on," Yuvraj Singh asserted.
Yuvraj Singh last played for India in 2017 against the West Indies and called time on his international career in 2019.
