India cricketer Harshal Patel opened up on not being retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction. The franchise has retained their former captain Virat Kohli, Australian batter Glenn Maxwell, and Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Patel won the Purple cap for most wickets in IPL 2021 as he picked up 32 wickets in 15 matches with an economy of 8.14. He became the joint-most wicket-taker in an IPL season along with Dwayne Bravo.
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In a chat with Crictracker, Patel said that the decision to let him go in the auction was taken by the franchise to manage the purse. “When I was not retained, Mike Hesson (RCB’s Director of Cricket) called me and said, that it was mainly purse management,” he said.
The 31-year-old expressed the desire to continue playing for Bangalore in the IPL. He also revealed that no other franchise has approached him so far.
“They would obviously love to have me back in the team and I too would obviously would love to go back and play for the team because RCB and this season (2021) changed my entire career and my entire life. However, in terms of auction, I haven’t heard from any franchises yet,” he said.
Speaking on the experience of sharing the dressing room with the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers at RCB, he said, "It’s pretty normal to be honest. I don’t get star-struck. Even I remember my first year in IPL, I was never star-struck.
"I just admire them for what they bring onto the field, the kind of people they are, the level of skill they have, and their ability to stand up in pressure situations and say: 'I am going to bring the team out of this difficult situation.' That’s what I have learned from those two guys,” Patel added.
The all-rounder made his India debut last year. He got to play against New Zealand in his maiden call for the Indian cricket team under the newly appointed head coach Rahul Dravid.
(With Crictracker Inputs)
