Yograj Singh, former India cricketer and father of iconic all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, has opened up about his battle with loneliness in a deeply emotional interview, saying he is now “ready to die” and feels his life has come full circle. Known for his outspoken personality and blunt views — including past criticism of MS Dhoni over Yuvraj’s career — Yograj revealed a side of himself rarely seen in public.
Speaking to Vintage Studio, the 62-year-old said he spends most evenings alone and depends on strangers for food. With no family members living with him, he said he does not ask anything of his children or relatives. “I sit alone in the evening, have no one at home. I rely on strangers for food… I don’t bother anyone. Someone or the other gets food for me if I am hungry,” he said, adding that house help come and go, leaving him by himself again.
Despite the distance, Yograj says he holds deep affection for his family — his mother, children, daughter-in-law and grandchildren — but does not expect anything from them. “I am ready to die. My life is completed. Whenever God wants, he can take me with him,” he said. “I am so thankful to God… I pray and he keeps giving.”
Yograj described the separation from his wife and son Yuvraj as the biggest heartbreak of his life. Recalling the moment his family walked away, he said, “The woman for whom I dedicated my entire life, all my youth… they can also leave me and go away?” He described crying before God, asking why loneliness had become his fate despite believing he had done no wrong. “I might have made some mistakes, but I am an innocent man… didn’t do anything bad to anyone,” he said.
Yograj’s first marriage to Shabnam Kaur ended in conflict, with Yuvraj later revealing he had encouraged his parents to separate because the home environment was filled with fights. Yograj later remarried and had two more children who now live in the United States. He reflected bitterly on how time had passed: “I did all of this for what? Do you have anyone with you now?”
Through all the turmoil, cricket remained central to his life. After injuries cut short his own international career — limited to one Test and six ODIs in the early 1980s — Yograj turned to coaching and played a pivotal role in shaping Yuvraj’s early journey, helping him rise to become one of India’s greatest match-winners. Yet his own personal life, he says, has brought him back to the starting point: alone, contemplative, and seeking peace.
The candid revelations from Yograj Singh have sparked widespread public sympathy, highlighting the emotional struggles that even high-profile sporting families quietly endure behind the scenes.