Seam-bowling all-rouder Harshal Patel had a big payday at the IPL 2022 mega-auction on Saturday as Royal Challengers Bangalore rebought him for a hefty sum of 10.75 crore! This has left fans wondering: if RCB wanted to have Harshal Patel, why did they release him in the first place?
RCB retained three players – Virat Kohli (15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (11 crore), Mohammed Siraj (7 crore) – ahead of the mega-auction out of a maximum of 4 allowed retentions. Harshal, who was the purple cap holder last season, would have been retained for much less by RCB than his new price tag of 10.75 crore.
Patel had listed his base price at 2 crore; RCB was the first to raise the paddle, and the last, successfully acquiring the services of the pacer – but will Harshal be able to vindicate this huge sum of money.
Well, his last season’s record – 32 wickets at 14 apiece – was staggering. However, there is a context to add to it that makes us believe that RCB won’t get last season’s results with Harshal.
Patel picked a five-wicket haul in the first game last season – versus Mumbai Indians. That game was played on the slow, tacky surface of Chennai. He played two more games there and snared 4 more wickets.
Next, RCB moved to the flatter and better batting surface in Mumbai. While Harshal did snap 6 wickets in 2 games at the Wankhede, he was walloped by the batters for 98 runs in 2 matches, including a thumping 37-run over against Ravindra Jadeja. Then, he had two more expensive matches at Ahmedabad as well, where the wicket was much better than it was in Chennai.
After the pause in the season, Harshal came back to his best in the UAE leg. He was brilliant once again in the second leg, picking wickets on the bigger grounds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and was helped by the slow, sticky, two-paced pitch in Sharjah.
Now, to believe the reports, the BCCI is planning to conduct the IPL 2022 entirely in Maharashtra- with multiple grounds available in Mumbai and Pune and no air travel needed this time.
This would mean that Harshal Patel would have to bowl on flatter and less helpful pitches of Mumbai and Pune than he did last season in Chennai and the UAE – that forced RCB to splurge out 10.75 crore for him.
Should Patel start off badly this season, RCB’s plans and hopes will go for a toss as Patel will be their designated death bowler. For now it’s wait and watch – but we suggest: RCB fans don’t keep your expectation high from Harshal Patel with the ball in hand this time.
