From Six Sixes to Second Innings: The Emotional Rise of Yuvraj Singh The entrepreneurial comeback of Yuvraj Singh: How he turned survival, sport & purpose into a brand empire.

The majority of comebacks originate on a playing field. Yuvraj Singh's came from a hospital bed. During the 2011 ICC World Cup final, while most of the world was honouring Yuvraj for hitting six sixes in one game, for his tremendous ability to win matches and for helping to win the World Cup, he was lying in a hospital fighting his biggest challenge - to remain alive.

Throughout the 2011 World Cup, Yuvi could quietly battle the symptoms he did not fully understand including breathlessness, constant fatigue and weakness. Even after dealing with all of these, he stepped onto the field and chose to show strength instead of struggle. The world saw passion in him while he was celebrating India's victories even after his body started signalling that something was wrong.

After being diagnosed with a lung tumour, the applause became muted. However, there is one thing we have learnt about him that Yuvraj always proved that even if there were setbacks in his life, they never defined him. Rather than merely recovering, Yuvraj Singh became a different person, a stronger one!

From Patient to Purpose

When Yuvraj concluded his round of chemotherapy, he was filled with scars, knowledge, and the distinct insight that the fight for life continues into or becomes a responsibility.

This responsibility would grow to be named the YouWeCan Foundation. The foundation was not created from a charitable perspective but rather as an outcome of a living example. As a first-hand experienced person, the cricketer knows what early detection could save. Utilizing his pain for a purpose, YouWeCan would develop into giving help through the process of early diagnosis, funding treatments, giving support to patients who survived, and building awareness regarding cancer; while providing hope to thousands by first being hope personified in his battle with cancer.

The Unlikely Entrepreneur

While most retired cricketers return to commentary or teaching after retiring, Yuvraj has turned towards business and has established himself as a leader in the industry. However, he hasn't become one of those celebrity investors looking for the flashiest deal possible. He has redefined his entire life around health, resilience, and mental health, and he is also looking for companies that do the same.

He started investing through YouWeCan Ventures into the following categories:

Companies that utilize technology to innovate within the sports industry.

Companies that provide wellness solutions.

Brands that put health at their forefront.

Companies that create technology products designed to improve performance and productivity.

These investments are not simply random choices. They are a reflection of who Yuvraj has become, the man who understands what it's like to lose his health and, just as importantly, knows what it's like to regain his power and vitality.

During board meetings, entrepreneurs often comment that when they meet Yuvraj, he is very engaged, has lots of questions, and is not afraid to ask hard questions. When he invests, he isn't doing so as a cricketer. Instead, Yuvi is building the second chapter of his life with the same intensity and focus that he had during the finals.

The Reinvention We Rarely Talk About

Yuvraj's journey has been one of discomfort, introspection and deep reflections on who he was and who he would be in the future. While everyone thinks of 'reinvention' as a gleaming, glamorous endeavour, for him it was a slow, uncomfortable process wrought with fear and uncertainty. Through this uncertainty, he found his passion for fitness and successful entrepreneurship and embarked on reinventing himself through entrepreneurship.

Yuvraj was unsure of how the public would perceive his post-cricket career, as well as how the business community would react to his brand. Also, he worried about whether his body would have enough energy and vitality to allow him to pursue a successful reinvention as an entrepreneur, but those factors did not deter him. Instead, they fueled his passion for entrepreneurship.

Through his journey of self-discovery and reinvention, Yuvraj built a successful lifestyle brand, partnered with technology and wellness platforms, became an advocate for wellness and mental health, supported and financed young entrepreneurs who were pursuing their own dreams and aspirations.

This has not been a case of Yuvraj 'rebranding' his past career after experiencing professional success; instead, it is a journey of redefining how he views successful entrepreneurship as he continues to pave his path in business. And this journey resonates with the feelings of so many entrepreneurs in India. The countless entrepreneurs of India have experienced the emotional journey of "starting again" after achieving what many would call "personal success" by overcoming adversities and fears in their entrepreneurial ventures.

Today's Yuvraj Singh's birthday. Entrepreneur India acknowledges Yuvi not just as a cricketer but as someone who has led a generation to understand that the act of returning from adversity is not magic but rather a choice.

Yuvraj made choices.

He made a choice to fight back.

He made a choice to rebuild himself.

He made a choice to reinvent himself.

To a man who inspired us to think differently about second chances and what they can mean for us.

Happy birthday, Yuvi!