Yograj Singh will only attend son Yuvraj's mehndi, not wedding

Former cricketer and actor Yograj Singh will not attend the wedding of his star cricketer son Yuvraj Singh, who is set to marry model Hazel Keech on 30 November.

It is not that the father, a former Test fast bowler, disapproves of his son's choice, but he has his reasons for not attending the anand karaj (Punjabi wedding ritual) that will take place at a gurdwara in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab.

Yograj Singh, who had divorced first wife Shabnam, mother of Yuvraj Singh, issued a statement explaining why he would skip the event. "I had told Yuvraj’s mother that I will not attend the wedding if it is solemnized at any gurdwara or dera, or involves any religious guru," he told the Hindustan Times newspaper. "I only believe in god and not religious gurus. I do not want to cause any discomfort to anybody."

So, while Yograj will not attend the wedding, he has agreed to be part of the mehndi (henna) function at Hotel Lalit in Mumbai on 29 November. "This will be the only function that I will attend and not the others planned in Delhi and Goa in early December as I am busy," he said. "My son called me with much respect and my name is on the invites."

Yograj added that he had asked Yuvraj if his mother would be comfortable having him around, "but he humbly requested me to be part of the function”.

Yograj Singh has acted in a few Punjabi films and also had a role in the 2013 film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.