AB de Villiers has criticised Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) decision to release Yuzvendra Chahal. This criticism comes after Chahal's historic achievement of becoming the first bowler to reach 200 IPL wickets; a mark he reached when he dismissed Mumbai Indians' Mohammad Nabi earlier this week.
De Villiers, who has shared the dressing room with Chahal during their stint at the RCB, has opened up about the ‘heartbreaking’ moment when the spinner left the franchise. In a recent YouTube video, the South Africa great talks about the time when Chahal was bought by the Rajasthan Royals during the IPL auction, leaving RCB after eight seasons.
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The South African cricketer admitted that it was a tough moment for him, as he had developed a close relationship with Chahal and had seen him grow as a player.
“Double hundred for Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) with a ball in hand in the IPL. He's the first guy to reach 200 wickets, and the most impressive thing about this (is) it is in 152 innings. RCB let him go… I've mentioned this before: a heartbreaking moment when he left RCB. He was part of the furniture there and also the best bowler. It was crazy that he got left out of that side,” AB de Villiers mentioned in a video on his official YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“Double hundred for Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) with a ball in hand in the IPL. He's the first guy to reach 200 wickets, and the most impressive thing about this (is) it is in 152 innings. RCB let him go… I've mentioned this before: a heartbreaking moment when he left RCB. He was part of the furniture there and also the best bowler. It was crazy that he got left out of that side,” AB de Villiers mentioned in a video on his official YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}Chahal, who was a crucial member of the RCB team, formed a strong bond with de Villiers and Virat Kohli, both on and off the field. Despite not being part of the franchise for over two seasons now, Chahal continues to be the side's leading wicket-taker. He played 113 matches for RCB from 2014 to 2021 and claimed 139 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.58.
“It's not easy to watch him go to 200 wickets…the most successful bowler of all time in the IPL, and with him not being at RCB. He's been a huge addition to that RR squad, has done fantastically well for them and part of the success of this season for them” he added.
Chahal's absence left a significant void in the RCB; in this season, their bowling attack came under significant scanner as the side lost seven of its eight games in the season, and currently reels at the bottom of the table.