Yuvraj Singh: Six Sixes, 2011 World Cup Hero and Cancer Comeback
Yuvraj Singh's six sixes off Stuart Broad, his Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup, and his courageous cancer recovery make him one of cricket's most dramatic figures.
The All-Format Destroyer
Yuvraj Singh was born in Chandigarh on 12 December 1981. A left-handed middle-order batsman who hit the ball ferociously hard, and a left-arm orthodox spinner, Yuvraj was India's most explosive white-ball player of the 2000s. His ability to hit sixes at will, combined with athletic fielding, made him India's most dangerous limited-overs cricketer through two World Cup victories.
Six Sixes Off Stuart Broad
During the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in a single over — only the second time this had happened in international cricket (after Herschelle Gibbs hit Daan van Bunge for six sixes in the 2007 ODI World Cup). Broad's deliveries were met with sixes to all parts of the Durban ground. Yuvraj reached his fifty off just 12 balls in that match — the fastest in T20 International history.
2011 World Cup — Tournament of His Life
At the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil, Yuvraj produced one of the great tournament performances. He scored 362 runs at 90.50 — including centuries and crucial half-centuries — and took 15 wickets at 25.13 with his left-arm spin. He was named Player of the Tournament. India won the World Cup for the first time since 1983, defeating Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Cancer, Comeback, and Legacy
Shortly after India's 2011 World Cup triumph, Yuvraj was diagnosed with a malignant germ cell tumour in his left lung. He underwent chemotherapy in the United States and made a full recovery, returning to cricket in 2012. His story of winning the World Cup, then facing cancer, then returning to the highest level of cricket became an inspiration worldwide. He retired from international cricket in 2019 and is remembered as one of India's greatest white-ball cricketers.
Frequently asked questions
Who did Yuvraj hit six sixes against?
Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad of England during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in Durban, South Africa. The same match saw Yuvraj reach his fifty off just 12 balls — the fastest in T20I history. The over is one of cricket's most replayed sequences and made Yuvraj an icon in India overnight.
What did Yuvraj Singh achieve in the 2011 World Cup?
Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Tournament at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, scoring 362 runs at an average of 90.50 with the bat and taking 15 wickets at 25.13 with his left-arm spin. His all-round performance was the decisive factor in India's World Cup victory — their first in 28 years, on home soil.