Yuzvendra Chahal on RCB snub: 'No one even spoke to me. Couldn't understand what happened suddenly'

Yuzvendra Chahal has expressed disappointment over the manner in which he parted ways with Royal Challengers Bangalore the franchise for which he played eight seasons in IPL. Chahal had expressed before the IPL 2022 auction that he would want to rejoin the franchise but RCB did not bid for him. He eventually joined Rajasthan Royals for Rs 6.5 crore. “When I put my name up for the auction, they promised me that they will go all out for me,” Chahal said on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel. “I said okay, but then I was not picked, I was very angry for two-three days. When I played my first match for RR against RCB, I did not speak to anyone from RCB, not even the coaches.” In eight seasons for RCB, Chahal took 139 wickets in 113 matches and is the highest-wicket taker in the franchise’s history. “Definitely, I felt very bad. My main journey started in 2014. I also felt very weird because I played for the franchise for eight years,” he said. “I would also say that I got the India cap because of my performances for RCB because they gave me a chance to perform. From the very first match, Virat bhai showed trust in me.” Ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, in an interview with Ravichandran Ashwin, Chahal had said that he doesn’t want Rs 15 crore fee for himself and that Rs 8 crore would be enough. In the recent interview, Chahal also clarified that he had not asked for a mega sum to sign him. “I heard things like, ‘Yuzi ne bahut paise maang liye honge’ [Yuzi must have asked for a lot of money]. Lot of such stuff was coming out. That’s why I clarified in an interview that I had not asked for any specific amount. I know what I deserve. The worst thing, which I felt very bad about, was that I did not receive any phone call. No one even spoke to me. I think I played around 114 games for them. I couldn’t understand what happened suddenly,” he said. Chahal is having a good time at RR as well, where he has taken 48 wickets in two seasons and won the Purple Cap in IPL 2022. “Anything can happen in the auction, and then I realised that it’s okay, whatever happens, happens for good. The one plus point is that after coming to Rajasthan, I became a death bowler. At RCB, my overs were finished by the 16th or 17th over. Here, my cricket growth has improved 5-10 percent. That attachment is definitely there for RCB, but coming to Rajasthan has helped my cricket a lot,” he added.