"Thank you for everything"- Yuzvendra Chahal reacts after RCB releases list of retained players

Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal expressed his gratitude towards the Royal Challengers Bangalore for their support over the years. His reaction came after he wasn't retained on Tuesday by the franchise ahead of the mega auction.

The Challengers, just like other franchises, announced their retained players list on Tuesday night.

As was widely expected, the 2016 runners-up have retained former skipper Virat Kohli, Australian swashbuckler Glenn Maxwell and pacer Mohammed Siraj.

Chahal proceeded to comment on a video post where RCB revealed the names of players they've retained. He wrote:

"Thank you for everything @RCBTweets"

Virat Kohli is the first player retained by the franchise. He will fetch Rs 15 crore as opposed to Rs 17 Crore, he was earning earlier. Glenn Maxwell is the second player to be retained for an annual retainer of Rs 11 crore. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj is the third pick at a sum of Rs 7 crore.

As a result, the total purse remaining for the Bangalore franchise is Rs 57 Crore.

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Yuzvendra Chahal was the leader of RCB's bowling-unit

Chahal's exclusion comes as a huge surprise to RCB fans. The leg-spinner has been the leader of Bangalore's bowling attack for a good five to six years now.

Chahal is the only RCB bowler to claim 100+ IPL wickets. Over the course of the last few years, he was the real MVP for the franchise as far as bowling is concerned.

According to media reports, negotiations over contract money between the management and Chahal couldn't come to fruition.

Following the release of the retention list, RCB social media handles expressed their gratitude towards players who have not been retained.

"The RCB management wholeheartedly thanks all the players who were a part of our 2021 squad for their unquestionable commitment to RCB and we sincerely hope this is not a goodbye, and our paths cross sooner than later. ❤️ #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPLRetention," they wrote.

With Chahal back in the auction pool, it could lead to a bidding war between the franchises.

The newly formed Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises are also set to randomly pick three players from the release pool. Hence, Chahal could very well land up in either of these two teams.

Chahal has thus far featured in 114 IPL games, claiming 139 wickets at an average of 22.28 and an economy rate of 7.59.