The Indian leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal is at a strange point in his career as earlier this year, he was India’s premier spinner in white-ball cricket but he was then excluded from India’s T20 World Cup squad. Now, he has got another setback as Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to release him despite being one of RCB’s top performers with the ball in the last eight seasons. Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, however, feels not all is lost for Chahal.
The former leg-spinner, in fact, is of the opinion that Chahal might actually end up earning huge money during the auction. RCB retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj in the IPL retention that took place on Tuesday. Sivaramakrishnan said RCB would want to buy the leg-spinner back in the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022.
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As per the quotes in NDTV, during a media interaction, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said, “RCB would want to buy him back. The other teams would want Chahal in their side because of his exceptional record in the IPL. The people who have more money will have the luxury of going for Chahal. In the end, Chahal might end up getting more money for being in the auction than by being retained.”
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who is in the commentary panel for the Ashes, gave an example of the bidding war for Ashwin between RCB and CSK to explain how other franchises might increase the price of Chahal if RCB shows separation in buying the leggie.
Former leggie explained, “I remember how RCB was raising the paddle seeing CSK going hard for Ashwin. If RCB want Chahal then the other teams might just bid to ensure he costs more to them. So, in the end, Chahal might end up being benefitted.”
Asked whether the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer will be dejected for not being retained by their respective IPL franchises, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said they would be focused on the Ashes, scheduled to be commencing on December 8.
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Laxman Sivaramakrishnan signed off saying, “Playing for the country is first and foremost. Your ambition as a young cricketer is not to play in IPL but to play for the country. There was no IPL when Ben Stokes or Steve Smith started to play. So, their aim would always have been to play for England and Australia. Firstly, the players who have already been retained will feel a sense of security. The players who have not been retained also have opportunity.”
