IPL 2016: Yuvraj Singh set to miss first two weeks of IPL due to ankle injury

Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh will miss the first two weeks of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that ruled him out of the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup against West Indies on 30 March.

The left-hander suffered the injury while batting against Australia in the final Group 2 game of the T20 tournament at Mohali on 27 March and has not recovered from that injury despite undergoing rehabilitation. Yuvraj will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2016 edition of the tournament.

"Sadly, Yuvraj will be out for a couple of weeks but we don't know how long that is going to be. A player like Yuvraj Singh is important to any team. He is not only a match-winner with the bat but he is a very useful bowler in those middle overs. Going into the auction, we were aware that we needed to strengthen our middle order. Hence we targeted players like Yuvraj and Deepak Hooda to give us that depth in our middle order and they complement what we already have in our squad," Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.com.

"What we are aware of this year is building a great depth and strength in our squad and by securing people like Aditya Tare, Tirumalasetti Suman who has had a lot of IPL experience in the past, we feel that we have got depth of talent to be able to cover for any circumstance and Yuvraj's absence is one of them. With Yuvraj being injured at this stage, you don't know what is around the corner — you need that depth in the squad."

Yuvraj struggled during his stint with Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 edition of the IPL, scoring just 248 runs in 14 games at an average of 19.07, hitting only two fifties. His new team will be hoping that the 34-year-old is back in form after returning from the injury. Hyderabad are scheduled to play their first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on 12 April at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.