Laxman Sivaramakrishnan reckons Yuzvendra Chahal will trigger a bidding war due to his great record in IPL

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was not amongst the three players retained by Bangalore ahead of the Indian T20 League mega auctions. Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj were the three players Bangalore management choose to retain. Chahal has been a vital cog in their success for the past five years. The leg-spinner picks crucial wickets in the middle phase of the innings and manages to keep things tight.

He also picked 15 wickets for Bangalore in this season and helped the team reach playoffs. Yet the franchise didn’t retain their seasoned campaigner. Cricketer-turned-expert Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, however, feels Chahal will manage to get big money in the mega auction. The former Tamil Nadu spinner further recalled an old bidding battle between Bangalore and Chennai for Ravi Ashwin and reckons Chahal will trigger a similar bidding war.

Sivaramakrishnan feels Bangalore might want to buy him back due to his wicket-taking abilities, and his vast amount of experience playing the league.

“RCB would want to buy him back. The other teams would want Chahal on their side because of his exceptional record in the IPL. The people who have more money will have the luxury of going for Chahal. In the end, Chahal might end up getting more money for being in the auction than by being retained.

"I remember how RCB was raising the paddle seeing CSK going hard for Ashwin. If RCB wants Chahal then the other teams might just bid to ensure he costs more to them. So, in the end, Chahal might end up being benefitted,” Sivaramakrishnan told NDTV.

Chahal has so far picked 139 wickets in 114 matches in the league at an average of 22.28. Leg spinners are always a hot property in franchise T20 cricket across the globe, and Chahal’s record speaks for itself.