"I am ready to go to any team" - Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of IPL 2022 Auction

All set to go under the hammer for just the second time in almost a decade, Yuzvendra Chahal has revealed his thoughts ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction.

In an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube show "DRS with Ash", Chahal remarked that despite spending eight successful years at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), there's no guarantee they'll be able to bring him back. He said while his heart lies in Bengaluru, he's "ready to go to any team" and continue to give his 100 percent.

Chahal said:

"It's the first time where I feel I can go anywhere because there's no Right to Match (RTM) card. The last time (2018), RTM was available and they (RCB) had told me clearly that they'll buy me using RTM in the auction no matter what... But this time, seriously, as a professional player, I am ready to go to any team."

The 31-year-old added:

Obviously, I want to go to RCB because I've been there for 8 years but it's not like if I go somewhere else I'll feel bad because everyone has to make a new team and it's a major auction where there's always purse constraints. Whichever team takes me, I'll keep giving my 100%. It will take some time to adjust to a new franchise but that's why we call ourselves professional players."

Ashwin also asked Chahal what amount he would like the franchises to splurge to sign him at the auction. The leg-spinner light-heartedly replied that he isn't looking for bids over ₹15 crore as ₹8 crore would be "enough for him".

He said:

"I don't want to say that I want 15 cr or 17 cr, you know, 8 cr is enough for me! (smiles)".

Chahal is the ninth highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 139 scalps from 114 matches at an average of 22.28. Most of his wickets came during his eight-year stint at the RCB, where he ended up as the best bowler in the franchise's history.

He was expected to be among the RCB's retentions for IPL 2022 but they decided to go with Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj as their three picks instead. The last time Chahal sat in the auction was in 2018 when RCB used their Right to Match card to snap him for ₹6 crore.

"I was happy with my bowling in South Africa" - Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal also talked about his latest international experience in South Africa, where he picked up two wickets at an average of 29 in the three-match ODI series which India lost 3-0. Chahal spoke of the Proteas' extensive use of the sweep shot, saying he wasn't too unhappy with it because those didn't go for boundaries.

He added that India lost because they neither had enough runs nor enough wickets in the powerplay to put pressure on the batters. He said he was happy with how he bowled while also admitting that he's taken some learnings from the tour.

The spinner explained:

"In this series they didn't try anything. They never felt enough pressure to score quickly at a run rate of 6-7. The scenario would have been completely different if we had got 2-3 wickets in the first 10 overs before we (the spinners) came to bowl. Then obviously they would have gone for the big shots and we would have had a bigger margin for getting wickets. I was happy with my bowling in South Africa because my theory is if you are bowling badly as a legspinner, either you will get hit for cuts or pulls which didn't happen... Still, it was a learning for me on how to adjust my fields when someone plays like this."

The IPL mega auction will be held on February 12-13 in Bengaluru.