On 12 December 2025, Yuvraj Singh turned 44. The Golden Boy of Indian cricket made history at the 2007 T20 World Cup by hitting six sixes in one over. He also recorded the fastest T20I fifty off 12 balls.
A dual World Cup winner in 2007 and 2011, Yuvraj Singh redefined India’s white-ball batting. Across formats, the ‘Prince of Punjab’ scored over 11,000 runs and took 150-plus wickets. Presently, he mentors young guns like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma.
Here are 5 lesser-known facts about the famous Number 12:
Roller‑skating national champion
As a child, Yuvraj Singh loved roller skating more than cricket. In the mid-1990s, he won the National Under-14 Roller Skating Championship. He even represented India internationally.
His father, Yograj Singh, later pushed him fully towards cricket. Yuvraj says he could have turned professional but gave up skating under pressure. He also held national records before switching to a completely-different sport.
Child actor in a Punjabi film
Yuvraj Singh briefly appeared as a child artist in early 1990s Punjabi films. He had a small cameo in Mehndi Shagna Di in 1992 when he was around 10 years old. His father also acted in the movie.
Yuvraje also made a brief appearance in Putt Saradaran De. These were minor roles. He soon shifted his focus to cricket.
Left-handed or right-handed?
Yuvraj Singh is one of the greatest left-handed batters and bowlers of all time. However, he is right-handed in most aspects of daily life. He has explained that this was a planned cricket decision, not a natural trait.
His father trained him to bat left-handed for tactical advantage. The move disrupted bowlers and worked brilliantly.
Accident for ice-cream
Yuvraj Singh was around 10 or 11 when he fell from a bicycle in Chandigarh while rushing to buy ice cream. He hit his chin badly and needed several stitches. It left a faint scar.
Doctors advised rest from strenuous sport. His father, instead, pushed him harder into cricket training once he had recovered.
Cancer battle
Yuvraj Singh won the Player of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup while secretly fighting cancer. When he lifted the trophy at Wankhede on 11 April, only his mother and a few friends knew about the disease.
Yuvi scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets, delivering one of cricket’s most remarkable performances. India won the World Cup after 28 years.
“I played the World Cup with cancer in my body… I just wanted to win it for Sachin Tendulkar and for India,” he later said.
