Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019: Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh to Miss the Remainder of the Tournament

Veteran cricketers, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, will not be a part of Punjab’s campaign for the remainder of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019. Meanwhile, Punjab have finally won a game in the tournament after losing the three opening games.

It is likely that Yuvraj and Harbhajan left for an overseas personal commitment after the team’s demoralising eight-wicket loss against Saurashtra on Sunday. Punjab coach Harvinder Singh hoped that at least Yuvraj would be back for the last game on March 2. On the other hand, uncapped Rohan Marwaha joined the team ahead of its training on Tuesday.

Earlier today, Punjab clashed with Sikkim at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Sikkim batters struggled to pose a threat after they decided to bat first. Baltej Singh and Krishan bagged two wickets each as they restrict Sikkim for a mere 90 runs. Milind Kumar topped the scoring chart with 37 runs but lacked support from the other end. In reply, Shubman Gill stormed his side to victory with an unbeaten 70 in 10.5 overs.

However, previously, Punjab had the worst start to their campaign. They lost to Madhya Pradesh in their opening game of the campaign by 34 runs. Their losing run continued as Mumbai sinked them by 35 runs before going down against Saurashtra. Finally, they have found their feet in the tournament beating Sikkim by nine wickets.

Neither Harbhajan Singh nor Yuvraj Singh, both at the fag end of their career, have had an impact in Punjab’s first three games. Leading the team, Harbhajan returned went wicketless in all three matches, conceding 75 runs in seven overs. All-rounder Yuvraj failed to fire on both the fronts, tallying 47 runs off 50 balls in three innings and ending wicketless.

The duo will once again be in action during the Indian Premier League which starts from March 23.