Yograj Singh, father of legendary Indian cricket team all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, sparked a major controversy after making a sexist remark while talking about retirements of certain players. Yograj said that it is mainly because of women and kids that some players decide to retire from cricket. He pointed out that fitness has nothing to do with retirement and claimed that women should not come in between a player and his career. “I have seen people in India going, ‘we are getting old after turning 40’. Women go out of shape when they turn 30, saying our kids have grown up. What can we do? I started this regimen in my gym, where I am a director, and I consciously decided to bring the senior citizens into shape. How can one relate playing the game to the age?” Yograj told InsideSport.
“You know what happens: your ladies of the house, your wives, they start coaching you, telling you it’s time to retire, time to look after the family, the kids. So I believe women should not come in between the legendary prospect of an athlete, fakir aur player yeh dono ka koi dharam nahi hai, warg nahi hai (Noble men and players don’t have any religion), they belong to God. As long as they live, they can do a lot of things,” he added.
Earlier, Yograj slammed any critic who was calling for Dhoni’s retirement and claimed that the ex-India captain should play for another decade considering his fitness levels.
He said that Dhoni has proven his fitness and even praised him for maintaining his dedication and discipline.
“He (Dhoni) is still playing and should keep on doing so for the next 10 years. Because he has proved his fitness with the right discipline and dedication. I still see his forearm, amazing man. Who the hell are people to tell him to retire? No. As far as cricket is concerned, hats off to him,” Yograj Singh told Insidesport.
MS Dhoni is likely to miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026 due to calf strain, Chennai Super Kings said on Saturday. “MS Dhoni is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain. As a result, he is likely to miss the first two weeks of TATA IPL 2026,” the franchise wrote on social media.
CSK take on Rajasthan Royals in their opening match on Monday.
Earlier in the day, CSK shared a video of the team’s practice match where Dhoni batted while Sanju Samson kept wickets. However, the franchise has confirmed that the veteran wicket-keeper batter will not take part in the upcoming encounter against Rajasthan Royals.
(With agency inputs)