TNN
Bhubaneshwar, Oct 24: In an incident that certainly won't enhance his off-field reputation, Yuvraj Singh was involved in an ugly spat with Sandeep Ray, son of former Union minister Dilip Ray, at a hotel owned by the politician here late Tuesday evening.
Yuvraj, who is in the Orissa capital to take part in the three-team Challenger Series, was reportedly playing pool with other players around 10.30pm when the incident took place. Hotel sources said Sandeep, who was sitting in the vicinity with his wife, took strong exception to certain indecent remarks allegedly made by the 26-year-old cricketer.
Following Yuvi's remarks - which hotel sources said did not behove an international player of his stature - Sandeep is believed to have brushed against the cricketer, leading to an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. Both men were heard hurling abuses at each other in Hindi and English.
Tempers cooled after about 15 minutes following the intervention of senior hotel staff. Both men then shook hands, sources said. In December 2006, Yuvraj had reportedly got into a brawl with a guest at a party thrown to celebrate the star batsman's birthday in Gurgaon.
The left-handed batsman, who is captain of India Blue team in the Challenger Series being played in Cuttack from October 23 to 26, had arrived in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. All cricketers playing the tournament, including a number of Internationals and India hopefuls, are lodged at the plush Mayfair Lagoon owned by businessman and Congress leader Ray.
Yuvraj, busy playing the India Blue versus India Red match on Thursday, could not be accessed for comments despite repeated attempts. Sandeep admitted he was involved in "a minor problem" with the cricketer. "We didn't know each other. There was a misunderstanding. But we have sorted it out," he told TOI.
The hotel management, wary of the issue snowballing into a controversy ahead of the November 26 One-day International between India and England at Cuttack, preferred not to comment. "We have no official version on this," a hotel spokesperson said.