Yuvraj Singh admits that 'most expensive player in IPL' tag pressurized him for 2 seasons

Over the course of the IPL's 12-year-long history, Yuvraj Singh has been part of some very high-profile teams until his retirement after the 2019 season. From being the most expensive purchase in the history of the IPL, to being taken by the Mumbai Indians for his base price with no competing bidders, Yuvraj Singh has seen it all. The all-rounder has scored 2750 runs in the IPL with 36 wickets in the 132 matches he played.

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Yuvraj Singh's pricey IPL history

On Monday, Yuvraj Singh did an Instagram live session with his 2002 NatWest Trophy match-winning partner Mohammad Kaif during the India lockdown. During the session, Yuvraj Singh reflected on his cricketing journey and explained Mohammad Kaif how he developed his exceptional fielding capabilities. The all-rounder then talked about the pressure of the IPL and how it can affect a player's performance.

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Yuvraj Singh is one of the most-hyped players in the IPL's history and has been part of multiple lucrative contracts throughout his 11-year-long stint in the cash-rich league. He was also the captain of the Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural IPL for a hefty ₹4 crore price-tag. In 2011, Yuvraj Singh was paid ₹8.28 crore and appointed as the captain of the Pune Warriors India.

In 2014, the RCB team paid ₹14 crore for Yuvraj Singh's services and the all-rounder delivered his best IPL with the bat that season. A year later, he became the most expensive purchase in the history of the IPL when the Delhi Capitals paid ₹16 crore for the all-rounder's services.

Yuvraj Singh's value, however, severely fell over time. In 2018, the team he formerly captained, the Kings XI Punjab, picked him up for his base price of ₹2 crore without any competing bidders. Singh scored 65 runs in eight matches that season and was released by KXIP. In the 2019 Auctions, no team was interested in Singh but the Mumbai Indians paid ₹1 crore to grab Yuvraj's services for his base price.

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Yuvraj Singh talks about the pressure of being a high-budget buy

Talking to Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh reflected on the pressures of being a high-budget buy and how it can impact a player's mental state when they are not able to perform. Singh reflected on how the money does not seem to change a player but the pressure on a player does increase quite a bit. The all-rounder urged the youngsters to stay away from news headlines as negative headlines sell and they can severely demotivate a budding cricketer. The 38-year-old World Cup winner explained how media reports could criticise a player and question his/her worthiness of the amount that they are being paid.

Yuvraj Singh played 4 matches for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019 and scored 98 runs. He announced his retirement from all BCCI cricket after that season. He was not going to be a part of IPL 2020 in any capacity. Due to the India lockdown, the BCCI currently has IPL 2020 postponed until further notice.

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