"Playing for India has given me a lot of confidence in my ability and skill" - Harshal Patel ahead of IPL 2022
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel is excited to represent the franchise once again in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 31-year-old has been a star performer for RCB and will be one of their key players again this season.
Patel was not retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, but they bagged his services by snapping him up for a whopping INR 10.75 crore. The 31-year-old, however, doesn't look at the price tag as a burden, but rather as an opportunity to go and showcase his skills.
Speaking in a video uploaded by RCB on YouTube, here's what Harshal Patel had to say about representing the Bengaluru franchise in 2022:
"Lot of pressure in terms of the responsibilities that are given to me and the standards that I have set for myself that I need to follow or even exceed sometimes. I don't look at it as pressure but an opportunity and I am really excited for it."
Harshal Patel had a stunning IPL 2021 season, where he picked up a record-equalling 32 wickets. That earned him a maiden call-up to the Indian T20I team and he believes it has given him a lot of confidence. He added:
"Probably this year I will be more confident. Last year it was a record-breaking season and then whatever I did for India it is all going to add up. It has given me a lot of confidence in my ability and skill and I will take that confidence and go in this year's IPL."
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Self-confidence, hard work and the right backing. @HarshalPatel23's secret to success. 😎🤜🏻🤛🏻
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Very happy that Faf du Plessis is our leader: Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel also opened up on the prospect of working under new IPL captain Faf du Plessis. The 31-year-old believes that the former South African skipper is the right man to take RCB forward and is excited to work with him. He stated:
"I haven't had any interaction with him before this but I really admire the kind of cricket that he plays, the way he carries himself and he is your role model. Really looking forward to playing under him. We were chatting about the same before the event and he said all the right things and ticked all the right boxes and I am very happy that he is going to be our leader."
RCB begin their IPL 2022 schedule against the Punjab Kings on March 27.