After initial hiccups and the apprehensions of remaining unsold, Yuvraj Singh finally finds home with the Mumbai Indians. It was evident that the Mumbai franchise was waiting for the right moment, as owner Akash Ambani has expressed, with pleasant dismay that they did not expect to get Yuvraj at just the base price of INR 1 crore. Yuvraj had been unsold after the first round of bidding before the Mumbai franchise was too happy to welcome him for so paltry a price. There is more good news for the Mumbai fans because Mumbai has also bagged speedster Lasith Malinga for INR 2 crores, and both these signings can come in handy for the Mumbai Indians when they need to boost their performance.
Mumbai Indians southpaw Rohit Sharma has expressed his excitement over Yuvraj’s inclusion in the squad and has even welcomed him via a tweet. This is, in all respects, a second chance for Yuvraj to turn it around for himself. Mumbai’s home ground, Wankhede, was the ground where India celebrated their second World Cup (ODIs) win on 2011. Yuvraj was standing at the non-striker’s end while Dhoni hit that monumental six to claim the championship.
There was a reason for a scare in this year’s bidding because well-known names like Manoj Tiwari remained unsold this year. Manoj had his stint with the Kings XI Punjab last season and has expressed his despair at not being picked up this year. On the flipside, teams like KKR and RCB have given importance to the inclusion of promising youngsters. RCB, for instance, has included the young Prayas Ray Barman for INR 1.5 crores, and Ray Barman is excited at the opportunity to share the same dressing room with Virat Kohli, whom he idolises. Ray Barman has also revealed that he has always supported RCB in the IPL games, and his inclusion in the Bengaluru squad would also give him a chance to reunite with his sister, an IT professional, who works in Bangalore. Prayas is not excited about the money that he has earned, and it is his performance that he would be focussing on.