Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) staged a miraculous comeback from the bottom of the table to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. Using spinners well in the second half of the league stage was one of the reasons behind RCB winning six games on the trot. Left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh played a crucial role in RCB’s six wins as well. After RCB beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their must-win clash, Swapnil got emotional as he recalled the time he got picked in the mini-auction. The 33-year-old said he was ready to hang his boots but when RCB picked him, it revived his career.
“The day of the auction, I was travelling to Dehradun for a Ranji game, and we landed somewhere around 7-8 PM. The last round of IPL auction was going on, and nothing had happened till that time. I frankly thought to myself, it’s done. Thank you. I will play the ongoing season (Ranji), and if needed the next one and call it quits because I do not want to play all my life, ‘Duniya jeetene ke liya aur bhi cheeze hain’, (there are a lot of other things I can do to be successful). I was very disappointed. But when the moment my family called, we broke down. Not many know how much of an emotional journey it was… That was it,” said the Rae Bareilly-born spinner in a video posted by the franchise.
Swapnil’s IPL career before joining RCB
Swapnil made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2016 edition against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He remained wicketless on his debut. In the previous edition, he was picked by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. He remained wicketless there as well and bowled just two overs.
Swapni’s IPL 2024 numbers
In the ongoing edition, he has bagged six wickets. His economy rate is 8.77 runs per over which is decent considering the high-scoring matches in the season. He contributed with a cameo against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the successful run chase that went right down to the wire.
RCB will now go up against Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the eliminator clash at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 22.
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