'There was no call, no communication, they promised they will go all-out' - Yuzvendra Chahal's shocking revelations about RCB snub

Eight teams saw major changes being made to their squads ahead of the IPL 2022 edition, as the mega auctions led to drastic changes with the addition of two new teams. While there were some surprising trades, Royal Challengers Bangalore letting Yuzvendra Chahal go was one of the biggest shockers of the entire process.

Naturally, the teams had to make the painful choices of parting ways with some of their star players in the hopes of repurchasing them, but one of the biggest surprises occurred when Royal Challengers Bangalore revealed their retention list. A team could retain only four players before the auction, and RCB went ahead with three players while letting go all others.

Their retention list included Virat Kohli, who had stepped down from captaincy by then, whom they 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 anticipated, Chahal’s exclusion was a shock for all RCB fans as the social media was divided.

Chahal made significant revelations about his “non-communication” with the RCB management and opened up about being overlooked by the franchise, after almost 1.5 years of the incident. Speaking on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast 'The Ranveer Show Hindi', Chahal revealed that the franchise had given him a word of buying the spinner back in the mega auction, but that never happened. 

“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,” Chahal said.

“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,” the leg-spinner further said.

I made peace with the fact that whatever happens, happens for good: Chahal

The leg-spinner, who had represented RCB in 113 games, was a crucial component of the team since the 2014 season. Additionally, he created a name for himself with strong performances in one of the most challenging stadiums for bowlers in the IPL, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where smaller boundaries typically make it harder for the bowling side to keep the hitters in control.

Chahal went into further detail about the period when he switched from RCB to Rajasthan Royals (RR), noting that the transfer ultimately assisted in his development as a player.

“I realise the auction is a very unpredictable place. So, I made peace with the fact that whatever happens, happens for good. At RR, I started bowling at death. Often, my quota would be completed before 16 overs in RCB. So, I think I grew as a cricketer in RR as well. So, whatever happened, happened for good. I have an attachment for RCB and their fans, but coming to Rajasthan Royals helped me cricket-wise,” said Chahal.