"Not A Kind Of Person Who Needs Rs 10.75 Crore": RCB Star On Auction Bid

Harshal Patel is a vital cog in the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling lineup and the pacer bowls the crucial death overs and his slower deliveries are hard to pick for the batters. The pacer's journey changed in the Indian Premier League (IPL), when Delhi Capitals traded him to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ever since then, the pacer has not looked back and in the auction held in February this year, he was picked up by RCB for Rs 10.75 crore.

Harshal views the switch from DC to RCB as a pivotal moment in both his cricketing and personal life. Before the IPL 2021 season, Harshal was traded by Delhi Capitals and he joined RCB. In that season, Harshal picked up 32 wickets and he was the winner of the Purple Cap.

"Delhi Capitals just informed me that we have traded you to RCB. Apparently, RCB paid them extra money to bring me on board. That was a pivotal moment in my cricketing and personal life. I was speaking with my brother and he said 'the auction is a marketplace', you are offering your services and people are bidding for those services. So, you have the option to either upgrade yourself or you will continue to be in a position where people are not looking to buy your services'," Harshal said on Breakfast With Champions.

"That I took very seriously, it was about the value that was attached to the price-tag. For right now, I do not think I am the kind of person who needs Rs 10.75 crore in his life. I don't have these types of interests, what is satisfying is the value that tag has. That is a decision I made after the 2018 auction that I want to be a valuable player and I want to be the valuable player. When the team is named, I should be the automatic entry, that we need to feature his name. That drove all my decisions, my decision to take more risks on the field and my decision to be more expressive on the field," he further stated.

In the ongoing season, Harshal has picked up nine wickets in seven games with his best figures being 2-11.

Topics mentioned in this article

Royal Challengers Bangalore Delhi Capitals Harshal Patel Virat Kohli IPL 2022 Cricket