IPL 2022 | Harshal Patel should be in INR 14-15 crore category, says Virender Sehwag

Harshal Patel has been an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise in their last two Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. Patel was traded from Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 20 Lakh in 2021 and was brought in for INR 10.75 crores at this year's mega auction.

Praising RCB's death-overs specialist, Virender Sehwag has said that Patel's name should be in the category of INR 14-15 crore for his skillset.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said, "We always talk about how (Rahul) Tewatia does justice to his INR 10 crore tag because he won matches for his side (Gujarat Titans). Harshal's price tag is still quite low, the way he has bowled for Bangalore.

"He has saved matches for the side, so I think even the INR 10.75 price tag is less for him. He should be in the INR 14-15 crore category."

Sehwag explained the Haryana pacer's importance for Bangalore across the season, despite missing a few games.

"He's bowling in slog overs; he is getting the wickets and saving matches. Sometimes, he even sets the tone for the game when he bowls the initial overs, conceding a lesser amount of runs and taking wickets.

"I think he also deserves to be in that bracket of category. Now, they have qualified for Qualifier 2, and maybe RCB can give him a bonus," the former Indian opener remarked.

Patel bowled his heart out in the team's 14-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants, picking 1 for 25 in his four overs and helping his team break the Eliminator jinx and pull them out of a topsy-turvy situation. 

In this edition, the 31-year-old is the second-highest wicket-taker for RCB with 19 scalps. He will play a crucial part against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad.