Yuvraj keen to set up cricket academy in Himachal

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has expressed interest in setting up a cricket academy in Himachal Pradesh in a tie-up with the state cricket association, a cricket association official said here Tuesday.

"Yuvraj Singh has expressed his desire to set up a cricket facility. For this he has requested HPCA president Anurag Thakur to provide land," Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) press secretary Mohit Sood told IANS.

He said the entire expenditure for creating infrastructure and providing training to players would be borne by the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence. "For us, we have to provide land somewhere in the state," he added.

The Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence is currently operational at four locations in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

The HPCA has four cricket stadiums, including its showpiece venue in Dharamsala, located at an altitude of 4,000 feet above sea level, with the mighty snow-clad Dhauladhar Ranges forming the backdrop