Follow UsAt the 2022 IPL Auction, there was a vivid surprise at the Auction tables when Yuzvendra Chahal’s name was called up. Whilst there was this expectation that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were going to do all that was in their will to bring the leg-spinner back home, they never bid for him.
Instead, it was a three-way fight between Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals before the Royals snapped him up at INR 6.5 crores. Since then, the leg-spinner has been one of the mainstays at the franchise, picking up 48 wickets and impressing one and all with his bowling.
Looking back at the 2022 IPL Auction, Chahal opened up that he was left angry by RCB, who promised that they will go all out for the leg-spinner. The franchise instead went all-out for Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who since then has also been dropped by the franchise in IPL 2023.
"When I put my name up for the auction, they promised me that they will go all out for me," Chahal told Ranveer Allahbadia's YouTube channel. "I said okay, but then I was very angry. I think I did not speak to the coaches for two-three days. Even when I played my first match for RR against RCB, I did not speak to anyone."
Despite making his IPL debut in 2013, it was only at RCB that the leg-spinner became the tournament’s mainstay, picking up 12 wickets. From thereon, Chahal went on to represent the franchise in 113 IPL games before he was not being retained.
"Definitely, I felt very bad. My main journey started in 2014. I also felt very weird because I played for the franchise for eight years," he said. "I would also say that I got the India cap because of my performances for RCB because they gave me a chance to perform. From the very first match, Virat bhai showed trust in me."
There were rumours that the franchise didn’t retain Chahal, owing to the sum that the leg-spinner asked. Since the rumours started spreading like wildfire, Chahal himself has cleared the air multiple times and added that he couldn’t care less about the money.
"I heard things like, 'Yuzi ne bahut paise maang liye honge' [Yuzi must have asked for a lot of money]. Lot of such stuff was coming out," he said. "That's why I clarified in an interview that I had not asked for any specific amount. I know what I deserve. The worst thing, which I felt very bad about, was that I did not receive any phone call. No one even spoke to me. I think I played around 114 games for them. I couldn't understand what happened suddenly."
All is in the past now, however, for Chahal, who has found a happy home at the Royals, where he has now developed the additional skill of bowling at the death. Chahal insisted that the move to Rajasthan, despite it being tough, helped him a lot cricketing-wise.
"Anything can happen in the auction, and then I realised that it's okay, whatever happens, happens for good. The one plus point is that after coming to Rajasthan, I became a death bowler. At RCB, my overs were finished by the 16th or 17th over. Here, my cricket growth has improved 5-10 percent. That attachment is definitely there for RCB, but coming to Rajasthan has helped my cricket a lot."