“Epitome of rejection” was Harshal Patel’s description of the moment he was sent home halfway through an IPL season.
Batter struggle to pick out his slower balls from Harshal Patel’s hand now that he has established himself as one of the top death bowlers. The Royal Challengers Bangalore rely solely on the pacer to keep the opposition at bay and also take wickets at critical points in the game. After being sent back home halfway through an Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the bowler described the experience as “the ultimate of rejection.”
“I only played five games in 2016 and then stopped. It’s deja vu all over again. Even once, I was sent home from school because of my bad behavior. When a player is being kept, you have to provide a hotel room, daily allowances, transportation to practice, and the booking of flight tickets. I can vividly recall the events of that day. As soon as I entered the room, Avinash Vaidya told me that Daniel Vettori (Daniel Vettori) wanted to speak with me. The Ritz-Carlton was our home away from home for the duration of our trip. After that, he summoned me to the breakfast area and announced, ‘We don’t see you playing for at least 4-5 more games so we’re sending you home. However, you can expect a follow-up contact from us. That you’re not even a member of the squad was the ultimate of rejection “According to Harshal, stated on the Breakfast With Champions show.
“After about 4-5 games, I believe RCB was eliminated and we were unable to advance. As a result, I sent Vettori a message asking for a game. My first time selling myself to a stranger. The last game was against Delhi at Kotla, and they phoned me to come. The first over I bowled went for 14-15 runs, and then my nerves calmed down a little bit. After being hit for 15 runs, I wondered, “How much worse could it get?” After that, I ended up taking three wickets and helping my team win the game. In that game, I was named Player of the Game. The 2018 auction was held the following year “he went on to say.
Before the IPL 2021 season, Delhi Capitals traded Harshal Patel to Royal Challengers Bangalore. The fast bowler finished with 32 wickets and was awarded the Purple Cap.
Harshal was purchased by RCB for Rs 10.75 crore at the IPL mega auction in Bengaluru in 2022.
Harshal has taken nine wickets in seven matches this season, with his highest score being 2/11.
