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Many were left surprised in November when the retention list of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams were announced. Harshal Patel, winner of the purple cap in 2021, was not retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) despite one slot remaining. Harshal, who is now part of the Indian T20I squad, has expressed his thoughts ahead of the upcoming IPL auctions and stated he would have “probably burn it all” if he had 2-3 crores of sum in his bank account at an early age of '20s.
“At 22-23, if I had got 2 crore or 3 crore, I would have probably burnt it all. Obviously, I am a Gujarati so my family wouldn’t have let me do that (smiles) but as an individual, I would have made bad choices with that amount of money. Hopefully, next year that changes and I’ll be paid well and when I’ll have that money, I’ll know what to do with it and I won’t light it on fire,” Patel was recently quoted in the RCB podcast.
The versatile bowler was a nightmare to face in the 2021 edition as he scalped record-equalling 32 wickets in the 15 IPL matches at an impressive average of 14.34. He was instrumental in guiding RCB to the playoffs of the IPL with his exploits in slog overs.
His performances though, didn't go unnoticed as the selectors took note of him and handed him his T20I debut in the home T20I series against New Zealand. He made his debut after the T20 World Cup 2021 and scalped four wickets in two matches. He will also be part of the Indian team in the three-T20I series against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, starting February 16.
The IPL auctions are set to take place in Bangalore on February 12 and 13, with the addition of two more teams, thereby increasing the chances of Harshal to be part of a big IPL franchise. He has chosen a base price of Rs 2 crore for himself going into the mega auction. Surely, RCB will have to spend a lot more to rope him back into the side.
