The controversy related to the retention and release of players as the new edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) approaches often steals the limelight. The IPL 2022 trading season witnessed a notable development with the release of star Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which sparked considerable attention and speculation.
Shedding light on the dramatic turn of events, former director of RCB, Mike Hesson, disclosed the rationale behind the Haryana based cricketer choice not to reacquire the services of the prolific leg-spinner during the auction.
Mike Hesson on Yuzvendra Chahal’s reaction
Hesson reflected on the challenges in acquiring Chahal during that year’s (2022) auction, highlighting the extensive effort put into securing him. He told that despite facing difficulties and conveying the complexities of the auction dynamics, the leg-spinner remained disheartened by the process. He mentioned that Chahal was aware of the team’s struggles and the issues faced during the auction.
“I remember ringing Yuzi afterwards, and he was upset. It was very difficult to try and explain to him the auction dynamics at that time. He was visibly disinterested, and I don’t blame him. He was an RCBian and he was frustrated. But I can assure everyone that he is well aware of the issues we were confronted with,” Hesson said on Cricket.com.
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Hesson on the dynamics involved
Hesson further explained the mathematics in on loading Chahal, emphasizing the cricketer’s position at No. 65 in the auction list, making it challenging to secure him. Despite extensive discussions during mock auctions, uncertainties in the actual auction dynamics made it difficult to guarantee Chahal’s acquisition.
“The fact that he came in at No.65 in the auction list (sic) meant that it was really difficult for us to guarantee that we would get him. But yes, we spent hours and hours at the mock auction debating how we could potentially buy Yuzi,” the 49-year-old added.
