IPL auction 2022: ‘Dil se khelo’ – Why Mohammed Azharuddeen wants to play with Virat Kohli again at RCB | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Young wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala, Mohammed Azharuddeen was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at his base price of Rs. 20 lakh in the February 2021 player auction. Though he didn’t get a single game to play last season, the 27-year-old, whose name will once again be called at the auction table this time, is hopeful of getting an IPL contract.
“Practice is on in full swing. I have worked a lot on my batting and technique. I am hopeful that I will be picked at the auction and will again get a chance to share the dressing room with seniors and star players from across the world. I know how good I am in T20s. I am staying positive about the auction,” Azharuddeen told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
At RCB, Azharudeen, who is also known as ‘junior Azhar’ among his friends and team-mates, got the chance to pick the brains of star players like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell.

Mohammed Azharuddeen and Virat Kohli
“I am a big fan of Virat bhai and want to play for RCB again. There was a luck factor involved and it was an honour to be with Virat bhai, ABD, Maxwell, and all the other RCB players. This time there are two new teams also and I am hopeful that I will be picked by someone. My thoughts are open and whichever team picks me, I am going to give my hundred percent for that team. You will see a different Azhar in this year’s IPL. I have changed a lot of things in my batting and technique. I gained a lot of confidence from last season. Sharing the dressing room with Virat bhai and ABD was a big thing. I got to learn a lot from Virat bhai. He gave me a lot of batting tips,” Azharudeen said.

AB de Villiers and Mohammed Azharuddeen
“Whenever these three guys (Virat, de Villiers and Maxwell) would hit the practice session, I would stand in a corner and observe their game. The way they connect their bats with the ball, with a lot of confidence, is amazing. The energy and confidence towards the game Virat bhai or ABD showed is just of another level. You can learn a lot by just observing them. I spoke with Virat bhai a couple of times personally. I asked him a lot of things about batting and he was happy to help me. He said ‘Dil se khelo’,” the Kerala batsman signed off.