"There’s definitely someone at RCB who doesn't know much about cricket"- Watson questions Bengaluru's decision to release Chahal in Hesson's presence
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Shane Watson questioned his former team's decision to release Yuzvendra Chahal. The Royal Challengers' team management surprisingly let go of the Indian leg-spinner ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. They didn't bid for him aggressively at the auction as well.
Chahal ended up joining Rajasthan Royals and won the Purple Cap that season. This year as well, the leg-spinner is among the top contenders to end the season as the highest wicket-taker in the IPL.
Speaking on JioCinema ahead of the battle between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals on May 2, Shane Watson questioned the Royal Challengers' decision to let go of Chahal. He commented:
"There’s definitely someone at RCB who doesn't know much about cricket. That's why he let Yuzi Chahal go."
JioCinema expert Mike Hesson was the Director of Cricket at Royal Challengers when the team released Chahal. Watson quickly took notice of him and hilariously added:
"I am not talking about this great man here."
Why did RCB release Yuzvendra Chahal?
To this date, many cricket fans wonder why Royal Challengers Bengaluru released their biggest match-winner with the ball, Yuzvendra Chahal. Three months ago, Mike Hesson opened up on the things that happened around the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
He mentioned that the plan was to retain just three players so that the team had an extra four crore in the purse. They wanted to sign both Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal at the auction. However, due to the auction dynamics, Royal Challengers ended up buying Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga for ₹10.75 crore each.
Hasaranga came before Chahal in the auction, which prompted RCB to bid aggressively for him. Hesson expected Chahal in the marquee list, which did not happen. Ultimately, Chahal was sold for a cheaper price than Hasaranga to the Rajasthan Royals.
Royal Challengers released Hasaranga after the 2023 season and didn't show any interest in him at the most recent auction. It resulted in RCB having one of the weakest spin attacks in IPL 2024.