'Lottery lag gayi bhai' - Harshal Patel reveals Virat Kohli's text after RCB bought him for INR 10.75 crore

Harshal Patel came into the limelight by picking up 17 wickets in 15 appearances for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League 2015. However, he featured only in a total of 18 games until 2020 post the 2015 season, wherein he played for Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2020. However, he was traded to RCB after the IPL 2020, which turned out to be a career-defining moment for him.

Patel returned with 32 wickets in 15 appearances for RCB and helped the team to seal the playoffs spot in IPL 2021. In the latest interaction, he recalled the IPL 2022 mega auction, where the RCB head Prathamesh Mishra raised the paddle to secure his services. Harshal Patel also said that his wife predicted his sold price will soon be in double figures. RCB kept bidding for him to eventually buy him for a price of INR 10.75 Crores.

“The reverse happened this year, the moment my name was announced, the first paddle literally in the first second, Prathamesh Mishra, who’s the head of RCB. He raised his paddle in the first second and things began happening at lightning speed, and then it went beyond 6-7 Crores, my wife had told me it’ll become double figures. I said Whatever is above 7 cr is yours,” said Harshal Patel on Gaurav Kapur’s show Breakfast with Champions on YouTube.

Harshal remembers Kohli’s message

Harshal Patel revealed that he received a message from Virat Kohli after the auction. The former India and RCB captain congratulated him for bagging a huge contract. In addition to this interaction, Patel reckoned that irrespective of price, the success and recognition after many ups and downs in his life is the most gratifying thing for him.

“I was in the room (2022 Auction time) and I got a message from Virat Kohli, ‘Congrats on winning the lottery’. I said ‘yeah bro, won the lottery. Way beyond my expectations. And he said ‘Yeah, very well deserved’. You’ve given the prime of your life to something, and then it bears fruit after so much up and downs, that is the most gratifying thing for me,” Patel added.