Yuzvendra Chahal was bagged by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2022 mega-auction last month.
Chahal had joined RCB in 2014, after making his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2011, and he played 113 matches for the Bangalore-based franchise. The 31-year-old picked up 139 wickets while playing for RCB with an economy rate of 7.58.
However, RCB let Chahal go and retained the likes of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj ahead of the mega auction.
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As a result, Chahal entered into the auction and he was bagged by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 6.5 crore last month.
“I have a close bond with RCB, especially with the fans. I got to play a lot of matches with the team. I am emotionally attached to RCB. I never thought I would play for some other team. People and fans on social media are still asking me 'why did you ask for this much money?'. The reality is that Mike Hesson (RCB Director of Cricket) called me and said 'Listen Yuzi, there are three retentions' (Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj),” Chahal told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive chat.
“They didn't ask me whether I wanted to be retained or tell me if they wanted to retain me. They just talked about the three retentions and I was told that - 'we will go for you in the auction'. Neither was I asked about money nor did I get any offer of retention. But I will always be loyal to my Bangalore fans. I love them so much, no matter what,” he added.
When asked if he was expecting RCB to retain him, Chahal replied: “The thing is they never asked me. They just called me and told me about the three retentions. If they had asked me whether I wanted to be retained, I would have said yes. Because money is secondary to me. RCB have given me so much, they gave me the platform, they gave me so much love and support, the fans gave me a lot of affection. Yes, I am attached to RCB emotionally. That's the most important thing for me.”
Yuzvendra Chahal has now moved on and he is excited to play for the franchise he was associated with 12 years ago.
“I am very excited. In 2010, I was with Rajasthan Royals. I was in the squad but didn't make it to the main team (playing eleven). After a long time, say more than 10 years, I am back where I started. I am so happy and excited to be part of the team once again. It's my first (IPL) family you can say as I started my IPL journey from here. I am excited to share the ball with Ashwin bhaiya (R Ashwin).”
Chahal is also optimistic about Rajasthan Royals’ chances of winning the IPL title this time around.
“On paper, RR are the strongest team. We have solid openers Sanju (Samson), Yashasvi (Jaiswal), Devdutt (Padikkal). We have a strong middle order too with Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Karun Nair. We have amazing all-rounders and bowlers in James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, R Ashwin, and of course me. The side looks pretty good right now. In the batting, fast bowling, keeping, and spin departments, RR have managed to tick all the boxes. RR look like the perfect team.”
Rajasthan Royals will open their IPL 2022 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at MCA Stadium in Pune on March 29.
(With TOI inputs)