NEWS
Follow UsIndia Test and ODI captain Virat Kohli was the first player to be retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) under the INR 15 crore bracket. Kohli, who stepped down as the RCB captain, says that he did not have any second thoughts on staying on with RCB for the next three seasons.
Along with Kohli, Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (INR 11 crore) and India pacer Mohammed Siraj (INR 7 crore) too have been retained by the franchise.
"The journey continues, I have been retained by RCB. When I was contacted, did not have any second thoughts at all. It has been an amazing journey over the years, three more years with the franchise that means so much to me. I believe the best is yet to come and I have a special feeling about what is to come next season onwards," said Kohli in a video posted on the official YouTube channel of RCB.
“The amazing journey at RCB continues. 3 more years with this franchise that means so much to me. I believe the best is yet to come.” - @imVkohli
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 1, 2021
We and the RCB fans love you too, King Kohli. ❤️#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPLRetention pic.twitter.com/63rkMcPcCO
"Our fan base is amazing, management has been amazing with me and all other players. Renewed energy and a different version of me on the field. But I will be there with my heart and soul for RCB," he added.
Speaking of the retentions, RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson said, "The player retention process has been pretty robust and exhaustive. We've got an exceptional bunch of players but the key for us was to ensure we have a sizeable auction purse going into the IPL Mega Auction."
"We had many good players whom we considered and were happy to retain, but that would have taken away our flexibility from the auction to get a balanced squad."
"We look to retain as many players during the auction as we build the perfect squad for 2022 and beyond," he added.