Kings XI Punjab's fortunes have hit rock-bottom in IPL 3 and one of the main reason for the team's failure is the poor form of the Team's icon player Yuvraj Singh
TOI has learnt that the problems emerged sometime last December when the IPL trading window opened
Ness Wadia, reluctant to part with the team's most expensive and popular face, flatly refused and expressed fears to BCCI that Yuvraj's reluctance could spill over on to the field, and that the batsman might deliberately underperform if asked to stay back. Sources say BCCI officials subsequently had a word with the player.
In IPL-3, Yuvraj has scored only 101 runs from seven games at an average of 14.42, and the team's sole win till now has come via a Super Over eliminator in a game in which he scored 43, his best score yet in IPL 3.However, it might be a stretch to imply one of India's best cricketers is deliberately throwing his wicket away, as Yuvraj has a swashbuckling batting style prone to inconsistency, especially if his mind is not focussed.His poor form, though, has only fuelled aggravation among the team's owners. It has also fuelled talk of a rift between him and his captain Sangakkara
An upset Yuvraj told mediapersons:
Originally Posted by Yuvraj Singh
It's not right. The media can't write negative things about a player just because he's out of form. Writing that two senior players are not on good terms without any basis is not done. Whatever is being written and said is wrong
Sangakara too backed Yuvraj, saying:
Originally Posted by Kumar Sangakara
Yuvraj is arguably one of the best T20 batsmen in the world. Such stories of a rift come to the fore when a team is not doing well. All of us are disappointed with the string of defeats. It's also a fact that most key players are yet to live up to their reputation. But that doesn't mean there's a rift. Yuvraj is a proven player and will come good soon.I don't think any cricketer should be like a prisoner at his own home. Everyone has a lot of individuality and uniqueness. Yuvraj Singh has not changed one bit since he came in to the IPL.
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