'At one point I thought it was too much' - Deepak Chahar after being roped in by CSK for INR 14 Crore

Deepak Chahar has yet again been bought back by the Chennai Super Kings at the IPL 2022 mega auction. CSK had faced tough competition from Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and, Rajasthan Royals before the defending champions outbid everyone to bring the bowling all-rounder on board for a staggering INR 14 crore. The 29-year-old was not in Chennai’s scheme of things when they had made their mandatory retentions on November 30, 2021.

Lately, Chahar has said that he wanted the Yellow Army to stop bidding for him after his price had gone past the 13 crore mark on Day one of the two-day event in Bengaluru. Giving further clarification on the same, the star pacer mentioned that he was giving more weightage to the team perspective rather than an individual as he feared that buying him at a phenomenal amount could have hampered building a strong team.

I haven’t imagined myself playing in other colour than yellow: Deepak Chahar

“I wanted to play for CSK because I haven’t imagined myself playing in another colour than yellow,” said Deepak Chahar while speaking to Star Sports.

“At one point, I thought it (the bid price) was too much. As a CSK player, I also want to build a good team. So after they spent 13 crore, I actually wanted the bidding to stop so I can go to CSK quickly, and then we can buy some other players (with the money saved),” he added.

The Agra cricketer was roped in by the four-time champions during the IPL 2018 mega auction and since then has gone on to represent them for four seasons, having bagged 58 wickets at an economy rate of 7.7.  He was also instrumental in Chennai’s two title wins in the 2018 and 2021 editions respectively.

Apart from his ability to generate swing early on, the CSK pace spearhead is also known for his batting skills in the middle-order and had nearly helped India pull off a famous win against South Africa with a quickfire 54 in the dead-rubber third ODI last month. At the same time, the pacer is also the title-holders’ most expensive buy at the IPL 2022 mega auction so far.

Deepak Chahar would now be expected to prove his mettle once again for the Chennai Super Kings as they look to take their legacy forward having built a strong team.