IPL 2018 auction: RCB will be stupid not to retain Chahal via RTM, says Sehwag

Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) surprised everyone in the Indian Premier League (IPL) retention event when they decided to retain young Sarfaraz Khan alongside team India skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, and left out the likes of Chris Gayle, Yuzvendra Chahal and KL Rahul for the auction, which will take place on January 27 and 28.

Former swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag has called the franchisee ‘stupid’ to not retain the leg-spinner who is currently in good form in the shortest format. The 27-year-old leg spinner is the go-to guy for Kohli to break partnerships, while playing with him in RCB and international matches.

“I don’t know at what price he (Chahal) will go but RCB will definitely use RTM for him. If they don’t, then they will be stupid,” Sehwag told Sportskeeda.

Another big name missing from the list is West Indian powerhouse Chris Gayle. During the last year’s IPL, the Jamaican failed to get going and finished the tournament with only 200 runs.

The former Team India player said he is not surprised at RCB’s decision to not retain West Indian big-hitter but he believes that the franchisee may go after him during the auction.

“Gayle is now getting old. He is not the same Gayle that he once was. Last year, he played in the IPL and his performance wasn’t at that level that he was once renowned for. Teams take into account this factor when they enter the auction. Maybe RCB might go after Gayle again at the auction,” concluded Sehwag.