Youth career
Yuvraj started his career from the Punjab
Under-16s at the age of 13 years and 11
months in November of the 1995–96
season against Jammu and
Kashmir-16s .[13] In 1996–97, Yuvraj was
promoted to the Punjab Under-19s and
scored 137 not out against Himachal
Pradesh Under-19s .[14]
Yuvraj made his first-class debut in
late-1997 against Orissa during the
1997/98 Ranji Trophy season. In that
match, he did not score any runs. [15]
His first breakout performance came in
the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy Final
of 1999 against Bihar; Bihar were all out
with a score of 357 and Yuvraj opened
for Punjab and he made 358 runs alone.
Yuvraj represented India in the series
against Sri Lanka Under-19s in India in
February 1999. In the third ODI, Yuvraj
scored 89 runs from 55 balls. [16] In
1999-2000 Ranji Trophy, he scored 149
against Haryana .[17]
In the ICC Under-19 World Cup 1999/00
which India won under the captaincy of
Mohammed Kaif , Yuvraj's all-round
performance earned him the Player of
the Tournament award and a call to the
national squad.[18] His performance in
the tournament included a quickfire 58
off 25 balls against Australia in the
semis [19] and, 68 (62) and 4/36 against
New Zealand in a group stage match.
[20] Yuvraj was subsequently selected in
2000 for the first intake of the National
Cricket Academy in Bangalore .[21]
International breakthrough
Yuvraj was selected in the Indian squad
for the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy in the
back of his impressive outings for the
Under-19 team. He made his
international debut against Kenya in the
pre-quarterfinal. He bowled four overs
conceding 16 runs but did not get to
bat. In the quarterfinal match against
Australia , Yuvraj won the man of the
match for his innings of 84 (80), against
a pace attack consisting of Glenn
McGrath , Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie ,
that helped India win by 20 runs. [22] In
the semifinal against South Africa , he
scored 41 and picked 1/15. [23] He
scored only 14 against New Zealand in
the final which India lost. The
tournament was followed by a tri-series
involving India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Yuvraj scored just 55 runs in five
innings at an average of 11. Yuvraj
averaged 15.50 in the ODI series against
the touring Zimbabwe side in December
2000 after which he was dropped from
the team.
Yuvraj made his comeback during the
2001 Coca-Cola Cup in Sri Lanka. He
scored a crucial 98* against Sri Lanka in
the fifth match in an otherwise
disappointing series with the bat.[24]
However, he proved to be useful with
the ball as he picked up 8 wickets at an
average of 27. [25] In the Standard Bank
triangular series involving hosts South
Africa, India and Kenya, Yuvraj managed
to score only 69 runs from 6 innings,
including a duck in the final against
South Africa.[26] Following this, Dinesh
Mongia and Hemang Badani were
chosen over Yuvraj in the squad for the
home series against England in January
2002.
Yuvraj returned to playing domestic
cricket in early-2002. After a
disappointing run in the Ranji
knockouts, Yuvraj struck 209 for North
Zone against South Zone in a Duleep
Trophy match in March 2002.[27] He was
immediately drafted into the national
squad for the final two ODIs against
Zimbabwe with India trailing the series
1-2. Yuvraj made impact in his return
match at Hyderabad , scoring an
unbeaten 80 off just 60 balls, to take
India to a five-wicket win and level the
series. He won the Man of the Match
award for his efforts. [28] In the final ODI
at Guwahati, Yuvraj made 75 runs from
52 balls, sharing a 157-run fifth-wicket
partnership with Mongia who scored his
career-best unbeaten 159, to help India
post a total of 333 in their 50 overs.
India went on to win the game by 101
runs and the series 3-2. [29]
2002 NatWest Series
After winning the ODI series in the West
Indies 2-1, where Yuvraj managed scores
of 1 and 10, the Indian team toured
England in June for the NatWest
triangular series and a four-match Test
series against the hosts. The NatWest teams from England and
Sri Lanka, apart from India. In the first
match at Lord's , Yuvraj won the man of
the match for his all-round performance
(3/39 and 64*) as India successfully
chased down England's total of 271. [30]
In the next match against Sri Lanka,
Yuvraj scored 31 and shared a crucial
60-run sixth-wicket partnership with
Mohammad Kaif to set up another
successful run-chase. [31] India's next
match against England was washed out
due to rain after Yuvraj had scored an
unbeaten 40 off 19 balls to take India to
285/4 in their 50 overs. [32] Yuvraj's
knock of 37, along with a fifty from
Rahul Dravid , helped India recover from
59/4 to reach the target of 188 against
Sri Lanka. [33] This win eliminated Sri
Lanka from the series with another
round of matches still to be played.
Yuvraj had scores of 5 and 8 in the final
round of matches but proved to be
useful with the ball as he picked one
wicket in each of the two games. At the
end of the round-robin matches, India
topped the points table with 19 points
while England finished second with 15
points. [34]
The final was played at Lord's on 13
July between India and England. After
winning the toss and electing to bat
first, England posted a daunting total of
325/5 in 50 overs. In reply, India were
struggling at 146/5 at the end of 24
overs, when Kaif joined Yuvraj at the
crease. The pair initially stabilised the
innings and later scored at a brisk rate.
The duo shared a partnership of 121
runs for the sixth wicket which came to
an end when Yuvraj was dismissed for
69 (63 balls) as he top-edged a sweep
shot in the 42nd over off the bowling of
Paul Collingwood resulting in a simple
catch to Alex Tudor at short fine leg.
India went on to win the game by two
wickets with three balls to spare. [35]
This was India's first win in the final of
an ODI tournament since 2000, after nine
consecutive defeats. [36] This win is
regarded as one of India's greatest
victories in ODI cricket. [37]
2002/03–2004
Yuvraj batted in two games of the 2002
ICC Champions Trophy which was held
in Sri Lanka in September. He scored 3
against Zimbabwe in the opening match,
and 62 in the semifinal against South
Africa. In November 2002, Yuvraj
struggled in the first five games of the
7-match ODI series against West Indies,
with a high score of 30. He returned to
form in the sixth ODI at Jodhpur with a
crucial half-century that helped India
win the match by three wickets and level
the series 3-3. [38] He top-scored for
India in the 7th match with a 69-ball 68,
but could not get support from any other
batsman. India crashed to a 135-run
defeat and lost the series. [39] Yuvraj
struggled for runs in the 7-match ODI
series in New Zealand in December
2002-January 2003, averaging just above
19 with a solitary fifty.
Despite his indifferent form leading to
the World Cup, Yuvraj secured a place in
the 15-man Indian squad for the 2003
ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Yuvraj scored 37 in India's opening
match against Netherlands. In the
following games, he had scores of 0, 1
and 7* against Australia, Zimbabwe and
Namibia respectively. He scored a brisk
42 against England, followed by an
unbeaten 50 against Pakistan setting up
wins for India in both games. In the
Super Six stage of the tournament,
Yuvraj had scores of 58* against Kenya,
and 5 against Sri Lanka. He scored 16 in
the semifinal against Kenya, and 24
against Australia in the final.
Yuvraj scored his maiden ODI century
(102* from 85 balls) against Bangladesh
at Dhaka on 11 April 2003. In May 2003,
Yuvraj was signed by the Yorkshire
County Cricket Club for the 2003 county
season. Yuvraj became only the second
Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to
represent the county. [40][41] Yuvraj's
Test debut came on 16 October 2003 at
his home ground Mohali against New
Zealand. Batting at six, he scored 20 in
the first innings, and 5* in the second
innings. In the TVS Cup tri-series in
October–November 2003 involving India,
Australia and New Zealand, Yuvraj
scored 113 Yuvraj returned to form in early-2004 in
the tri-series involving Australia and
Zimbabwe. He scored 314 runs from 8
innings at an average of 39.25, including
his second ODI hundred - 139 runs from
122 balls, with 16 fours and two sixes -
against Australia at the Sydney Cricket
Ground .[43] Yuvraj had a mixed tour of
Pakistan in March–April 2004. He
disappointed in the ODI series with 141
runs from 5 matches, averaging just
over 28, but found success in the Test
series. In the first Test at Multan , Yuvraj
scored 59 - his maiden Test fifty - as
India registered an innings win. He also
picked up his maiden Test wicket during
the second innings of Pakistan. [44] In
the second Test at Lahore , Yuvraj scored
his maiden Test century during India's
first innings while the rest of the batting
lineup struggled against the bowling of
Umar Gul . Yuvraj's innings of 112 came
from 129 deliveries with 15 fours and
two sixes. He made only 12 runs in the
second innings and Pakistan leveled the
series by winning the match by 9
wickets. [45] He scored 47 in the final
Test at Rawalpindi where India secured
the series with another innings victory.
[46] However, he lost his form in the
latter half of 2004 with batting averages
of 31 in the 2004 Asia Cup , 12.33 in the
Natwest Series in England and 4.50 in
the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. In
October 2004, after the first two Tests of
the Border-Gavaskar Trophy , he was
dropped from the Test squad as his
dismal run with the bat yielded just 47
runs from the two matches.
2005–2006: Revival in form
Despite the dip in form towards the end
of 2004, Yuvraj continued to be a regular
feature in the Indian ODI team. In the
Platinum Jubilee Match against Pakistan
in November 2004, Yuvraj scored a 62-
ball 78 in a losing cause. [47] In
December 2004, Yuvraj scored 94 runs at
an average of 31.33 in the three-match
ODI tour of Bangladesh including a
blistering knock of 69 from 32 balls in
the final ODI at Dhaka.[48] He had a
disappointing ODI series at home
against Pakistan in April 2005, scoring
98 runs in six matches at 19.60. [49]
In July–August 2005, Yuvraj was the
leading run-getter for India in the 2005
Indian Oil Cup triangular series in Sri
Lanka also involving the hosts Sri Lanka
and West Indies. He scored 192 runs in
four matches, averaging 48. [50] He also
recorded his third ODI century during the
series - 110 runs from 114 balls (11
fours and one six) - against West Indies
at Colombo for which he was awarded
the man of the match.[51] Yuvraj then
played in the Videocon Cup in August–
September 2005, a triangular series
involving India, New Zealand and the
hosts Zimbabwe. He averaged 54 with
the bat in the series, scoring 216 runs
from 5 matches. [52] His innings of 120,
in the final round-robin match against
Zimbabwe at Harare , helped India
recover from a precarious position of
36-4 and successfully chase down the
target of 251. It was his fourth ODI
hundred and he won the man of the
match award for his efforts. [53] In the
two-match Test tour of Zimbabwe that
followed the tri-series in September,
Yuvraj had scores of 12 and 25. In
October–November 2005, Yuvraj had a
quiet seven-match ODI series at home
against Sri Lanka. He managed just 124
runs in six innings at an average of 31
with a top-score of 79*.Yuvraj was picked in both Test and ODI
squads for the Pakistan tour in
January–February 2006. The first two
Tests were drawn in which Yuvraj batted
only once, in the second Test, scoring
4. In the third Test at Karachi, Yuvraj
top-scored for India in both innings.
After scoring 45 in the first innings, he
went to score his second Test hundred
in the second innings (122 runs from
144 balls). India lost the match by 341
runs and the series 1-0. [56] In the one-
day series, he continued to be in
sublime form. He scored a 28-ball 39 in
the first ODI at Peshawar which Pakistan
won by 7 runs by Duckworth–Lewis
method .[57] He scored an unbeaten 82
in the second match at Rawalpindi
taking India to an emphatic 7-wicket
win, [58] before scoring an unbeaten 79
in the third game at Lahore and helping
India successfully chase the target of
289. [59] In the low-scoring fourth match
at Multan, Yuvraj scored 37 as India
took the series with a five-wicket
victory. [60] In the fifth and the final ODI
at Karachi, Yuvraj, batting at three, hit
his sixth ODI century. His innings of
107* which came off 93 balls with 13
boundaries, helped India comfortably
chase down the target of 287 for the
loss of only two wickets. He won the
man of the match award for this innings
and was also adjudged player of the
series. [61] Against England, Yuvraj
averaged 21.33 in two Tests in March
but proved to be successful with both
bat and ball in the ODI series in which
he again won the player of the series
award. During the series, Yuvraj won
back-to-back man of the match awards
in the third and fourth ODIs. In the third
match, he made 103 from 76 balls, and
in the fourth match, he picked 2/34 and
scored 48. He scored a total of 237 runs
in the series at an average of 47.40 and
picked up 6 wickets with his part-time
bowling. [62]Indian Premier League
He was the icon player and captain for
Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings
XI Punjab in the first two seasons; in
2010, the third season, icon player status
was abolished and the captaincy given
to Kumar Sangakkara . They came
second in the round-robin phase of the
tournament, but lost their semi-final to
the Chennai Super Kings. On 1 May 2009,
Yuvraj picked up his first hat-trick in T20
cricket against Royal Challengers
Bangalore at Kingsmead in Durban , the
same ground where he hit his six sixes.
He dismissed Robin Uthappa , Mark
Boucher and Jacques Kallis . On 17 May
2009, Yuvraj picked up his second
Twenty20 hat-trick against Deccan
Chargers at the Wanderers Stadium in
Johannesburg. Yuvraj dismissed
Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and
Venugopal Rao .
The Pune Warriors were a new team
introduced for the 2011 IPL. Yuvraj Singh
was bought by the team and chosen as
captain. [75] Pune Warriors finished ninth,
ahead of only the Delhi Daredevils. [76]
From 14 matches, Yuvraj scored 343
runs at an average of 34.30, including
two half-centuries. [77] After much
controversy BCCI had allowed Pune
Warriors to have his replacement for
2012 Indian Premier League, citing his
medical condition and nonavailability for
2012 IPL due to the same. [78] In 2014,
Yuvraj was bought by the Royal
Challengers Bangalore for a whopping 14
crore. [79][80] Kingfisher employee union
sent a letter to Yuvraj. It requests him
not to play for Royal Challengers
Bangalore. [81][82]
Series feat
