'Nothing but absolute respect': Marcus Stoinis calls Yuvraj Singh his mentor and hero

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has heaped praise on former India star Yuvraj Singh, describing him more as a mentor than a teammate and saying he commands "nothing but absolute respect." "I played with Yuvraj Singh in the IPL. Although I was playing with him, I describe him more as a mentor. I was quite young, and he was obviously very experienced," Stoinis said in a recent video released by the ICC. He went on to highlight Yuvraj’s supportive nature, calling him "very helpful" and a "nice guy." "Super talented, elegant, powerful. Not the typical power that maybe is on highlight around the world today. It was a more relaxed, rhythmical power. Very nice guy, very helpful. I mean, to a young overseas player coming to the IPL, he was very good to me. Nothing but absolute respect," Stoinis added. Turning to Australia’s current form, the team has struggled at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and is already out of the tournament. After starting with a convincing 67-run win over Ireland in the 14th match at R Premadasa Stadium, the Aussies were stunned by Zimbabwe in their next game, failing to chase 170 and being bowled out for 146. The struggles continued against co-hosts Sri Lanka, with Australia losing by eight wickets as Sri Lanka chased down 182 in just 18 overs. Their qualification hopes then depended on Ireland defeating Zimbabwe, but the match was washed out, giving one point to each team and ending Australia’s campaign prematurely. Australia will now take on Oman in their final group-stage match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Friday, aiming to finish the tournament on a positive note.