Exclusive - IPL 2022: Would have said yes if RCB asked me if I wanted to stay on, but they didn't, was told they would go for me in the auction, says Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal, who will be seen playing in the Rajasthan Royals jersey this IPL season. Chahal, who was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise from 2014 to 2021, was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 6.5 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction. In many ways it is a homecoming for Chahal, who was part of the Royals squad in 2010, but didn't get a single game. It's understandable that he is emotionally attached to the Royal Challengers Bangalore where he spent 8 seasons (2014 to 2021).

(Rajasthan Royals Photo)In an interview with TimesofIndia.com Chahal talks about how he was never asked by the RCB franchise if he would want to be retained and that there was never any conversation about money. Chahal has played 114 IPL matches overall and of these 113 appearances have been for RCB, all under Virat Kohli's captaincy. He has taken 139 IPL wickets in all. He played only 1 match for Mumbai Indians in 2013, under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

TimesofIndia.com caught up with the Indian spinner before IPL 2022 began to talk about his RCB to RR journey, playing under Virat Kohli, his love for RCB, bonding with new India captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid, plans for the T20 World Cup and much more. From Royal Challengers Bangalore to the Rajasthan Royals, what has Yuzvendra Chahal's IPL journey so far been like and are you excited about what's coming up next?I am very excited. In 2010, I was with Rajasthan Royals. I was in the squad but didn't make it to the main team (playing eleven). After a long time, say more than 10 years, I am back where I started. I am so happy and excited to be part of the team once again. It's my first (IPL) family you can say as I started my IPL journey from here. I am excited to share the