IPL 2022: I Believed DC Will Keep Me As A Backup Option - Harshal Patel About Being Traded To RCB

Indian pacer Harshal Patel’s career trajectory has taken a sharp turn upwards after joining Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the IPL 2021 season.

He was asked to fulfill the role of the death bowler and the rest is history. A few broken records later, Harshal revealed that he never thought Delhi Capitals (DC), his previous franchise, would trade him with RCB.

“I spent six years of my initial IPL career with RCB and then three years with Delhi Capitals, then they traded me. I was very surprised because I believed Delhi will keep me as a backup option,” Harshal said on the RCB podcast.

“I didn’t think they will let me go, but luckily, they decided to let me go and RCB was very keen on bringing me on board from what I heard. I got the role of a death bowler in this stint and obviously, it changed my career,” he added.

“The amount of faith they’ve shown in me means a lot” – Harshal Patel

There is no doubt that each player peaks at different times and for Harshal, it came quite late. He is now into his thirties but has finally made his debut for India and is expected to be in the fray for this year’s T20 World Cup.

“When they traded me back from Delhi, they gave me an opportunity and responsibility that I was not expecting to fulfill. They backed me, saw something in me and that means a lot. The price tag is obviously huge but at the same time, the amount of faith they’ve shown in me means a lot,” Harshal mentioned.

Harshal won the Purple Cap for IPL 2021 season after taking 32 wickets in 16 matches. It is the joint highest number of wickets taken in a single season in the history of the IPL.

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