Before the IPL 2022 mega auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore had released Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal was a part of RCB from 2014 to 2021, and was the team’s leading wicket-taking bowler. Chahal has been a part of Rajasthan Royals for the last three years, and is in amazing form. He has also become the first bowler in IPL history to take 200 wickets.

The decision of not retaining Yuzvendra Chahal hurts RCB till date. Recently, former head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mike Hesson has given the main reason behind the decision of not retaining Chahal.

We couldn’t have gone for Yuji – Mike Hesson

Mike Hesson revealed that the franchise had to retain only three players ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, which would have given them an additional Rs 4 crore in the auction. The franchise’s target was to buy both Chahal and Harshal Patel in the auction, but all their plans went waste due to the order in which the names of the players were announced in the auction.

Speaking on GeoCinema, Mike Hesson said, ‘He (Chahal) is an amazing bowler and I think when you come into every cycle you have to decide who you retain. It’s one of those things where if you retain only three players, you get an extra Rs 4 crore in the auction.

Mike Hesson further said, ‘We got a chance to get both Harshal and Yuji. But then the auction order came and Yuzvendra Chahal was at number 65, after Yuzi there was no other spinner in whom we were interested. We were interested in buying Hasaranga if we didn’t get Yuji. So we bid for him and then after Hasaranga came into the team, we could not go for Yuji.

Neither Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal nor Wanindu Hasaranga are currently part of Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB is almost out of the race for IPL 2024 playoffs. The team is ranked 10th in the points table with one win and 2 points from 8 matches.