New Delhi: The Indian cricketing community thought it was strange that Royal Challengers Bangalore decided not to keep Yuzvendra Chahal after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, given how well the bowler had performed for the team throughout the years.
In an honest interview, Chahal revealed that he felt terrible that the franchise had fired him after an 8-year run, but the worst part was that they never even called to let him know why.
"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.
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The franchise didn't even place a single offer for Chahal after promising to go all out for him at the auction, according to Chahal. Sanju Samson's squad, which competed against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals, won the bidding war and acquired 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 his disappointment with RCB's choice, Chahal believes that what transpired was ultimately for the best because his move to Rajasthan allowed him to improve as a player.
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"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.
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