Rajasthan leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked three wickets against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday 1 April. Playing his first away game in the Indian Premier League 2024 season, Chahal bowled a riveting spell of four overs, where he destabilised the Mumbai batting in the first innings of the match. Chahal’s performance had former cricketer Shane Watson singing his laurels as the spinner continues his tremendous form in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
After Trent Boult ripped through the Mumbai top-order, Chahal put a mid-block on the team’s batting. Mumbai had tried to stage a comeback in the middle overs of the game with a fifty-run partnership between Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma but Chahal sent both batters packing. Watson lauded the player for his incredible wit in the cricketing field and called Chahal the ultimate weapon for Rajasthan.
“Yuzvendra Chahal has done it a long period of time in the IPL in international cricket as well. Chahal does not go for many runs and he gets the best batters out. He continues to do it game after game, year after year and Rajasthan Royals are so fortunate to have him,” Shane Watson said on Jio Cinema.
Watson took a dig at RCB and questioned their choice of not retaining Chahal in the 2022 mega auction.
“Today he picked the big wicket of Hardik Pandya which was in the crucial moment of the game. Yuzi Chahal came out in the top once again. I keep saying this – RCB, why the hell did you let him go,” Watson wailed.
RCB LET CHAHAL GO
Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal admitted that he was furious that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did not go all-in to sign him at the IPL 2022 mega auction after he was unexpectedly released by the franchise. He claimed that RCB promised him that they would do everything possible to bring him back to the franchise, but nothing came of it during the mega auction.
“When I put my name up for the auction, they promised me that they would go all out for me. I said okay, but then I was very angry [He was not picked by RCB]. I think I did not speak to the coaches for 2-3 days. Even when I played my first match for RR against RCB, I did not speak to anyone,” Chahal had said on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel.
Chahal was signed by RCB in 2014, marking the beginning of an eight-year stint that would see him become one of the team’s most valuable players. During his tenure with RCB, Chahal played a pivotal role in the team’s bowling attack, often completing his quota before the 16th over. His performances were instrumental in many of RCB’s victories, earning him the Man of the Match award against Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2014.
Over the years, Chahal’s contributions to RCB were significant. He played 114 matches for the team, taking 177 wickets in 136 innings, with a strike rate of 16.94 and an average of 21.50. His best individual figure was an impressive 5/40. Despite his success, Chahal’s journey with RCB came to an abrupt end when the team did not retain him ahead of the 2022 IPL mega auction. This decision was met with disappointment by Chahal, who felt a deep connection with the team and the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which he considered his favourite ground.
“Definitely, I felt very bad. My main journey started [from there] in 2014. I also felt very weird because I played for the franchise for eight years. I would also say that I got the India cap because of my performances for RCB because they gave me a chance to perform. From the very first match, Virat [Kohli] bhai showed trust in me. It feels bad because I had been there for eight years,” Chahal had added.
