Indian batting ace Cheteshwar Pujara is all set to make his Indian Premier League comeback after a halt of almost 7 years. The red-ball mastermind was picked by Chennai Super Kings for a base price of 50 lakhs, thanks to his recent heroics in Australia. Cheteshwar Pujara started his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010. He, then, went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) between the years 2011 to 2013. Lastly, he plied his trade with Punjab Kings in the 2014 edition. Since 2014, Pujara has not featured a single IPL team, which can change this season.
IPL 2021: Pujara wanted to play for Gujarat Lion
None of the teams were interested in signing the auction due to his mediocre form in the IPL. Pujara, however, was deeply disappointed when Gujarat Lions did not bid for the player in 2016 and 2017. Gujarat Lions were part of the Indian cash-rich league for two seasons. Pujara, who is originally from Rajkot, expected the Gujarat-based franchise to pick him during the auction. However, that never happened and Pujara was left out of the IPL.
Pujara stated that he was disappointed to learn about it at the start but later moved on as it was not in his control. “Well, I was disappointed that I was not picked. But that was not in my control. It would have been nice if I was part of that side. That is in the past and I have moved on,” Pujara told Cricbuzz.
When asked if he remembered his last IPL game, the 33-year-old replied: “It’s been long for sure. I was the last part of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). My last game, I think, was against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede in 2014. To make a comeback to the IPL means a lot to me. It is the best league in the world and I have missed out on being part of it for quite some time.”
