The decision by Royal Challengers Bangalore to not retain leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal after the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season was widely viewed as peculiar within the Indian cricket community. Chahal had been a consistent performer for the franchise throughout the years, making the move unexpected.
Deserved better than the way I was treated
In a sincere interview, Chahal expressed his deep disappointment about being released by the team after being associated with them for eight years. However, what hurt him the most was the lack of communication from the franchise, as they did not even bother to provide an explanation via phone call.
"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 with Ranveer Allahbadia.
Given false promises
According to Chahal, Royal Challengers Bangalore had given assurances that they would make a strong effort to retain him during the auction. However, to his surprise, the franchise did not submit a single bid for him.
Eventually, after a bidding war involving Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals, it was the team led by Sanju Samson that acquired Chahal for a price of 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.
Moved on and learnt to see the brighter side
Despite his initial disappointment with Royal Challengers Bangalore's decision, Chahal now believes that the turn of events was actually beneficial for him. Joining the Rajasthan Royals proved to be a turning point in his career, as it enabled him to grow and evolve as a cricketer.
"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 end. 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.
