Yuvraj Singh has denied reports that he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur in Punjab. The former India cricketer took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to clarify his position. (More Cricket News)
"Contrary to media reports, I'm not contesting elections from Gurdaspur. My passion lies in supporting and helping people in various capacities, and I will continue to do so through my foundation You We Can," the celebrated all-rounder wrote. "Let's continue making a difference together to the best of our abilities."
Earlier, reports claimed that Yuvraj Singh had been formally inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party and he could be fielded as the saffron party's candidate. Actor Sunny Deol is the current Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur.
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The speculations were fueled by the fact that Yuvraj Singh and his mother Shabnam Singh met with Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, in New Delhi on February 9, 2024.
The Lok Sabha elections, India's general elections, will most likely be held between April and May this year. Punjab will send 13 members to the 18th Lok Sabha. And Gurdaspur has a history of electing celebrity BJP candidates. Before Deol, the seat was represented by another actor, Vinod Khanna from 1998 to 2014, winning four terms. He did lose in the 2009 general elections.
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Yuvraj Singh made his India debut in a One-Day International match against Kenya on October 3, 2000, and played his last game for the national team on June 30, 2017, against the West Indies, in the same format. He played 304 ODIs, scoring 8701 runs with the help of 14 centuries and 52 fifties. The all-rounder also took 111 wickets with his left-arm spin.
In between, the left-handed middle-order batter played 40 Tests and 58 T20 Internationals, scoring 1900 and 1177 runs, respectively. He also scored three Test tons. A match-winner with both bat and ball, the Chandigarh-born cricketer claimed nine and 28 wickets in Test and T20Is, respectively.
A survivor, Yuvraj battled with cancer and returned to cricket in 2012. He retired from international cricket in 2019, but not before helping India win the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup titles.
