Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal displayed a high-class performance in his first game for Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Tuesday. Yuzi spun around Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who failed to chase down RR’s massive target of 211 runs.
The leggie claimed a three-wicket haul and conceded only 22 runs in his quota of 4 overs. He first sent back opening batter Abhishek Sharma and then got rid of Abdul Samad to pick his second scalp. Chahal’s third wicket came in form of Romario Shepherd, and with that, he also reached the 250th wicket landmark in the shortest format.
There is no doubt that Chahal donning the pink jersey would be a new prospect for his fans as they associate the spinner closely with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In fact, ahead of the IPL mega auction, several fans were expecting Chahal to be retained by the franchise, but it didn’t happen.
Now, Chahal has opened up about parting ways with the franchise that is extremely close to his heart. The 31-year-old revealed that RCB didn’t ask his choice whether he wanted to be retained or not. Chahal said that he was informed about the three retentions that RCB made and was told that they would get him in the mega-auction.
“They didn’t ask me whether I wanted to be retained or tell me if they wanted to retain me. They just talked about the three retentions, and I was told that – ‘we will go for you in the auction’. Neither was I asked about money nor did I get any offer of retention,” Chahal told The Times of India.
Chahal talked about his bond with RCB fans and said he will always love them no matter what happens as he is emotionally attached to the franchise. The Haryana-based cricketer revealed his fans still ask him why he didn’t ask for more money, but the reality is that he wasn’t quizzed and only told about the three retentions.
“But I will always be loyal to my Bangalore fans. I love them so much, no matter what. I have a close bond with RCB, especially with the fans. I got to play a lot of matches with the team. I am emotionally attached to RCB. I never thought I would play for some other team. People and fans on social media are still asking me, ‘why did you ask for this much money?’. The reality is that Mike Hesson (RCB Director of Cricket) called me and said, ‘Listen Yuzi, there are three retentions’ (Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj),” added Chahal.
