"Didn't Ask For Anything, Know How Much I Deserve": Yuzvendra Chahal On Release From RCB

When Royal Challengers Bangalore didn't retain leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, the Indian cricketing spectrum saw the decision as one of the weird ones considering how well the bowler had done for the franchise over the years. Chahal, in a candid interview, admitted that he felt really bad the franchise let him go after an 8-year spell, but what he felt the worst about was the fact that they didn't even give him a call to explain the decision.

"I definitely felt very bad. It was in 2014 that my journey started. From the first match, Virat Kohli showed trust in me. But, it feels bad (on the decision) as I was playing for the franchise for 8 years. I saw people saying 'Yuzi would've asked for a lot of money' and such stuff. That is why I clarified in an interview that I did not ask for anything. I know how much I deserve. The worst thing is I didn't get a single phone call from RCB. They didn't even tell me anything," Chahal said in an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia.

Chahal revealed that RCB had promised to go all out for him in the auction but the franchise didn't even put a single bid for him. After a battle between Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, it was the Sanju Samson-led team that bought him for INR 6.50 crore.

"I played around 140 matches for RCB, but I received no proper communication from them. They promised me that they'll go all out for me. I was alright. I got very angry after that (seeing RCB let him go), I played for them for 8 years. Chinnaswamy Stadium is my favourite," he said.

Despite being disappointed with RCB's decision, Chahal feels what happened was actually good as the switch to Rajasthan helped him become a better cricketer.

"Whatever happens, happens for good. A good thing that happened with me after I joined Rajasthan Royals is I became a death bowler. I started to bowl at the death. At RCB I used to bowl the 16th or the 17th over at max. At RR, I became a death bowler and my cricketing growth increased by 5 to 10 percent. That is when I realised, whatever happens, happens for good. People go to new teams after sometimes playing for 10 years for a particular side. That is fine. As a professional cricketer, you have to deal with such things. 

"The attachment with RCB is there but coming to RR has helped my cricket a lot," he explained.

Topics mentioned in this article

Royal Challengers Bangalore Yuzvendra Chahal Cricket