Mandeep Singh leaves Punjab for Tripura, thanks Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh for their support at PCA

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Mandeep Singh brought an end to his 14-year-old association with Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) officially on Saturday, August 10, and confirmed that he would be playing for Tripura in BCCI's upcoming domestic season.

The 32-year-old, who has played 99 first-class, 131 List A and 207 T20s till date, thanked his Punjab seniors Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh for their unwavering support throughout his time with PCA.

“I have had the most amazing journey at PCA from junior level all the way to senior level whilst also having the best fortune of being the Winning Captain of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for 2023-2024," said in a statement.

“I want to extend my appreciation to Dilsher Khanna, secretary of PCA, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, for their constant support throughout the years. I would also like to thank the members of PCA Management and to the staff that have been by my side over the years.

“However, after a lot of deliberation, I think it's time for me to open a new chapter in my career. I have decided that now is the right time to go ahead and play cricket for Tripura in the upcoming domestic season. I am excited for the new beginnings at Tripura and to celebrate the many milestones and achievements that are yet to come,” he added.

Why Mandeep Singh left Punjab for Tripura?

In a recent chat with Sportstar, Mandeep Singh revealed that he was leaving his home team to play for a different state as he wishes to play in all the three formats. At Punjab, the India international was not being considered for white-ball matches lately.

“I still have enough cricket left in me and I am definitely not dragging myself. I decided to take up the offer from Tripura as I wanted to play in all the three formats,” he told Sportstar on Thursday from Hull.

Mandeep Singh made his India debut in 2016 and played three matches against Zimbabwe in which he scored 87 runs including a fifty, at an average of 43.50 and a strike rate of 119.17. He has also been part of Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL.

Apart from Mandeep Singh, another former Punjab player Jiwanjot Singh has also been roped in by Tripura as a professional player for the upcoming domestic season. Tripura have hired PV Shashikanth as their head coach, who was recently at the helm of the Karnataka team.