Royal Challengers Bengaluru's journey to the playoffs is nothing less than extraordinary. From being in the bottom place at the halfway stage of the league phase to climbing the tedious steps in the points table and finishing fourth; it is a magical journey.
As magical as RCB's journey has been in this IPL, their spin-bowler Swapnil Singh's turnaround has been emotional to watch out too.
The 33-year-old Swapnil, who injected life into the spin department and played a crucial role in RCB's resurgence, has now revealed a challenging time when he thought about quitting cricket.
"The day of the IPL auction I was travelling to Dharamsala for a game. It was around 7-8 pm after I landed. Nothing had happened by then and the last rounds were on. When I missed out at first, I thought that's it. Frankly, I thought it was all over," Swapnil told the RCB Bold Diaries.
Swapnil said he considered hanging his boots as he thought there were other things as well to do in life. "I thought I would play out the ongoing (domestic) season, and if needed, I would end my career after playing the next season because I did not want to keep playing all my life. There are other things to do well in life as well. I was very disappointed," he added.
But then a turnaround began when RCB roped in the 33-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. He revealed the time when he called his family after this. "As soon as my family called, we broke down. Because no one else understands how emotional the journey has been," he recalled.
Swapnil also opened up on his conversation with RCB's head coach Andy Flower before the auction. "Before RCB picked me in the auction, they had organised a trial-cum-camp. I spoke to Andy sir and told him all about how my (domestic) season had gone. I told him, ‘Just give me one chance. This might be my last chance. Just have faith in me. He told me he had faith in me. He called me for the camp," Swapnil said.
Swapnil has been pretty impressive in RCB's resurgence. He has picked up six wickets in six matches at an economy of 8.76. His performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad was also a crucial one as he picked up the big wickets of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen.
As RCB face Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator on May 22, Swapnil will be vital once again with the ball in hand.
