"Thought It Would Be Better If I Go Unsold": RCB Star's Stunning Admission
Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed said that he wanted himself to go unsold in IPL 2020 auction.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season is just days away from its commencement. Much like every season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be aiming to go all the way and end their trophy drought in the competition. While RCB have made some valuable additions to their roster this season, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has made a rather strange admission as he revealed that he was hoping to go unsold on the auction day in 2020. Eventually, however, Ahmed was picked up by the then-Virat Kohli-led franchise.
In the latest episode of the RCB Podcast, Ahmed admitted that he wasn't under the impression that the Bengaluru outfit would bid for him in the auction. Hence, after going unsold in the first round of the auction, he shut off the TV.
"I never thought RCB would pick me, it was surprising. To be honest, I had a shoulder injury that time. Every cricketer wants to play in IPL, and I was having a good domestic season then. The people from the association had said that I had a chance in the auction, but I never thought RCB would buy me. In fact, I was thinking it would be better if I go unsold because I didn't want any problems to resurface in the IPL. If I'm not fit, the season would go waste," Ahmed said.
"My teammate Ishan Porel was picked by Punjab first. Next was my turn. In the first attempt, I had gone unsold and I was so happy. I switched off the TV and I felt relieved. But as the auction was coming to end, my friends told me I was picked by RCB. Everyone was still seeing the auction in the dressing room, and everyone was happy," said Shahbaz.
Even when Ahmed was picked by RCB, he didn't have much confidence in him, primarily because of his troubles as a fielder and the fact that Kohli put huge importance in fielding.
"On the inside, though, I thought, 'oh no, how did this happen'. My biggest fear was I was picked by RCB and Virat bhai was also the Team India captain at the time. I thought, 'what will happen with me now'. I was having trouble with fielding and Virat bhai is very particular about fielding.
"But Covid was the game-changer for me. In lockdown, I got time to have a shoulder surgery. When I joined the team for the first training camp, I was fit," the all-rounder asserted.
Royal Challengers Bangalore