Yuzvendra Chahal, the premier leg-spinner, who is currently out of the national side, is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and his greatness was recognised by Punjab Kings, as the franchise splashed INR 18 crore to buy the 34-year-old. Soon after he was picked by Punjab Kings, Chahal emphatically declared that he “deserves” this price tag.
Punjab Kings defeated the likes of SunRisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings, to avail the services of Chahal in the IPL mega auction, which is being held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Chahal was sold for INR 6.5 core in the IPL 2022 auction to Rajasthan Royals. He was then not retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction, and as a result, the spinner entered the auction pool with his base price as INR 2 crore.
Speaking to JioCinema, Chahal said, “I was very nervous. I had anxiety because whatever I was getting for the last three years, put together, I was getting it in one year. But, I think I deserve that. I am very excited.”
“I had a few hints. A few of my friends told me that I would go to Punjab Kings. But, I didn’t think about how much I would be solf for. I was thinking like ₹12-13 crore. Like you said, I deserve this,” he added.
‘Excited to work with Ponting’
Yuzvendra Chahal also stated that he is excited to work alongside PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting. He said that it would be his first time working with the World Cup winner, and hence he is all excited.
“I am very excited. There is Ponting sir. I will work with him for the first time, I will try and give my best. I am very excited. I have a very good bond with Shreyas Iyer. I will get to learn a lot from Ricky Ponting sir. And it’s near my home, it’s Chandigarh and before it was Jaipur,” he added.
Speaking about the ever-evolving nature of T20 game, Chahal stated, “Definitely, I played at Sawai Mansingh, I have played at the Chinnaswamy too. The impact player rule has come, so the boundaries matter. Earlier, when you conceded 40 in 4 overs, you felt bad. Now, you feel it’s part and parcel of the game.”
Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the legends of the IPL as he is the first bowler in the history of the tournament to take more than 200 wickets.
Speaking of Punjab Kings, the franchise picked up players like Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Nehal Wadhera on Day 1 of the mega auction.
