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Kings X1 Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh is ready to shed all his friendships when he leads his team against Chennai Super Kings on home ground for their inaugural match in Indian Premier League. The Chennai SUper Kings vs Kings XI Punjab match will take place on 19 April 2008 in Mohali.
Yuvraj’s close pal and Indian skipper M S Dhoni is also the captain and icon player of Chennai Super Kings.
Yuvraj , who is the icon player of Preity Zinta promoted Kings XI, said friendship cannot be taken to the field. Mohali is Yuvraj’s home ground.
Yuvraj Singh also said there was no issue in portraying the contest as a Yuvraj vs Dhoni tussle. The Punjab Kings XI skipper said such comparisons would only increase the popularity of the Twenty20 competition.
The dashing Indian batsman also said IPL does not make the players’ calender too crowded as there will be only 59 matches in 44 days.
Kings XI Punjab has a bunch of international players including Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Simon Katich of Australia.
Yuvraj’s prize catch among young Indian players include Karan Goel and Uday Kaul. Yuvraj Singh has also lined up a formidable bowling attack with Aussie pacer Brett Lee set to open with either S Sreesanth or Irfan Pathan.
This makes Yuvraj’s Mohali eleven as one of the most competitive sides among the eight teams in IPL. Yuvraj acknowledged that he was happy with the composition of the team, pointing to the fact that his bowling attack was capable of putting any opposition on the defensive.
And on the batting side Yuvraj himself is the spearhead – remember he has hit six sixes in an over in the inaugural Twenty20 ICC World Cup in South Africa last year and hopes to do it again this time in IPL.
Yuvraj Singh also agreed with Mumbai Indians’ skipper Sachin Tendulkar’s view that IPL offered an excellent opportunity for young Indian players to rub shoulders with the World’s best.
Former Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody, the coach of Yuvraj’s Mohali team, wants the team to open the IPL on a winning note. Mohali will host seven matches and Yuvraj Singh was confident that people from all over Punjab will turn up to see the matches.
The key worry for the Kings XI Punjab team is that Brett Lee will have to leave the competition after two weeks as he would have to take part in the training camp ahead of Australia’s West Indian tour.
Indian pacer and Yuvraj’s team mate in Kings XI Punjab Ifran Pathan said the seamer-friendly track would help him exploit the extra bounce.
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