Middlesex drop Yuvraj from Twenty20 plans

Middlesex have decided against bringing Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh on board for their Twenty20 Cup campaign, despite having a signed contract from him, after failing to receive written approval from the BCCI. The decision to drop Yuvraj from this summer's plans was made after it was clear that the batsman's international commitments would make him unavailable for the majority of the tournament.

"We had received a signed contract from Yuvraj confirming that he was playing for us, we had received full approval from his agent as to the terms of our agreement with Yuvraj, we had received full approval from a prominent member of the BCCI as to Yuvraj's signing," Vinny Codrington, Middlesex's chief executive, wrote on the county's website. "And we had even agreed what squad number he would be sporting for the Panthers this year and what name he would be wearing on his back."

However, the county then received notification from the Indian board about the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in June, as well as a training camp ahead of the tournament. It also learnt, through the media, of a tri-series involving India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe between May 28 and June 13 in Zimbabwe.

"Calls to the BCCI to seek clarification on this point have proved fruitless, however we have since been advised that Yuvraj will be required to represent India in this tournament … leading to us make the decision to notify Yuvraj Singh's representatives that we will not be pursuing our interest in bringing him to Lord's," Codrington added.

Middlesex have already recruited former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist as their other specialist Twenty20 overseas player for the season.