“When I wasn’t picked there, I was very angry, I gave them 8 years,”Yuzi Chahal on RCB not picking him during IPL 2022 mega auction.

Eight teams underwent significant squad changes leading up to the IPL 2022 edition, thanks to the mega auctions and the addition of two new teams. Among the various surprising trades, one of the most shocking moves came from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) camp, as they decided to let go of Yuzvendra Chahal.

Prior to the auction, teams faced the difficult task of parting ways with some of their star players in the hopes of reacquiring them later. However, RCB’s retention list announcement caught everyone off guard. Each team could retain only four players, and RCB decided to retain just three players, leaving the rest of their squad up for grabs.

The three players RCB retained were Virat Kohli, who had stepped down from the captaincy by then, retained for INR 15 crore, Glenn Maxwell for INR 11 crore, and Mohammed Siraj for INR 7 crore. While Kohli and Maxwell’s retentions were expected, the exclusion of Chahal left RCB fans divided and social media abuzz with discussions.

Chahal himself shed light on the situation, revealing the lack of communication between him and the RCB management. In an interview on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast ‘The Ranveer Show Hindi,’ Chahal disclosed that the franchise had assured him of reacquiring him in the mega auction, but that promise was never fulfilled.

Chahal revealed saying “I played there for 8 years. RCB basically gave me the India cap, because they gave me a chance to perform. From the very first match, Virat Bhaiya showed trust. So, it felt bad, because it almost feels family when you spend 8 years at a team. A lot of rumours came in, like I asked for huge amount of money. I clarified at the time that there wasn’t anything like that. I know what I deserve.” 

Moreover he added “What I felt really bad about was there was no phone call, no communication. At least have a talk. I had played 114 (sic 113) matches for them. In auction, they promised me that they will go all-out for me. I said, fine. When I wasn’t picked there, I was very angry. I gave them 8 years. Chinnaswamy was my favourite ground. I didn’t talk to RCB coaches. The first match I played against them, I didn’t talk to anyone.”