Who Will Replace Yuvraj In Pune Team For IPL 5?

Crippling news of the detection of a malignant tumor in the left lung of the young and flamboyant Team India and IPL Team, Pune Warriors cricketer, Yuvraj Singh, has sent the entire IPL 2012 auctions and preparations into a tailspin. The Pune Warriors IPL team has been withdrawn from the league and the entire league is in turmoil as a result of this.


Sahara India which has been till now the sole official sponsor of the Indian cricket team and also one of the franchisees of the Pune Warriors had made a special request to the BCCI to allow them to consolidate the price paid for Yuvraj Singh into their funds pool for the auctions in the latest edition of the league. This was categorically rejected by the BCCI with the plea that it was against the rules. This led to fallout between the two and Sahara India withdrew their sponsorship of Team India as well as a pull out of Pune IPL team.

Currently undergoing chemotherapy in the United States of America, which is expected to keep him out of the game for at least six months, it is almost a certainty that the Pune Warriors’ captain Yuvraj Singh will not be playing in this year’s edition of the IPL. The chances of them laying stake to claim the title look very bleak indeed and under the circumstances, the team desperately needs to find a replacement that is competent and talented as the stylish left-handed all-rounder.

The only good news for the beleaguered Pune Warriors is the fact that the BCCI has approved a replacement to play in his place. Yuvraj was bought by Pune Warriors last year for a whopping $1.8 million but under the BCCI rules for the IPL, this amount cannot be returned to the kitty when they participate in the auction this year. This means that there is a limit to the kind of player they could pick to replace Yuvraj Singh and their predicament is who will replace Yuvraj in the Pune team for the 5th edition of the IPL.

With no official word coming from the sponsors Sahara India, one can only speculate on who the replacement for Yuvraj can be and the choice will have to be made from among the players remaining unsold post the February 4th auction. Of course, they could still go for a player not in that list but one of the hottest names they could consider would have to be the young debutant Australian player Peter Forrest whose fine showing in Adelaide against the Indian team should surely have impressed quite a few.


Besides the foreign players, VVS Laxman might also make the cut but for his none too impressive showing on the Australian tour. Big hitters could find favor because of the format of the league and players like Dwayne Smith, Justin Kemp along with Marlon Samuels, Jacob Oram, Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright could also be in contention for the coveted position.

However, the uncertainty in the talks between BCCI and Sahara India could leave this question unresolved for some time to come.

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