Sarfaraz Khan didn’t know he was going to be retained by RCB

After 10 successful and glittering years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to return as it will embark on its journey on another decade of excitement and extravaganza. The date for the player auction of the upcoming edition has already been confirmed and is slated for later this month. Thus with the auctions just around the corner, all the franchises released the list of players they have retained on Thursday (January 4), which was stipulated deadline by the BCCI.

While there have been quite a few surprises the retention of young batsman Sarfaraz Khan by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 1.75 crore certainly turned eyes. Sarfaraz, of late, had been marred by injuries and thus retaining him over someone like Yuzvendra Chahal, who ended 2017 as the leading wicket-taker in T20Is seemed a bit unnatural.

The 20-year-old dynamic batsman starred for the Virat Kohli-led franchise in 2015 but was forced to the sidelines the following season after he incurred a knee injury that kept him out of action for almost the entire year.

The right-handed batsmen, however, has undergone surgery successfully and will aim to repay the faith of his franchise in the upcoming edition of the IPL. RCB also paid INR 5 lakhs to provide financial aid for his surgery.

Sarfaraz didn’t know about the retention process

Speaking about his retention and playing in IPL 2018, the youngster said to Sportstarlive, “I didn’t even know about the process. So, there was no expectation. I want to thank Virat (Kohli) bhai for believing in my abilities. I will try to respect the trust and perform well in the upcoming season.”

The Mumbai-born cricketer is well-known for his deft strokeplay and keeps a repertoire of shots up his sleeves. Having shared the dressing room with the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and the Indian skipper, Sarfaraz has learned a lot from the veterans.