Have nothing but gratitude: Harshal Patel after his release from RCB

Following the release of Harshal Patel from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 33-year-old pacer said he has nothing but gratitude for the franchise.

Patel took to his official Instagram account and said that the previous three years with the Bangalore-based franchise have been incredible for him.

He also thanked everyone for standing by his side in the difficult times.

"I want to share some special memories I've had with @royalchallengersbangalore. Last three years have been an incredible journey for me. I want to thank everyone in the team who stood by me through thick and thin. As I move on, I have nothing but gratitude in my heart," he said on Instagram.

In the 2023 season of the IPL, Patel scalped 14 wickets with an economy rate of 9.66. However, his best season in the tournament was in 2021 when he bagged 32 wickets from 15 games and also got hold of the Purple Cap.

Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, and Indian pacer Harshal Patel are among the players released by RCB ahead of the IPL 2024. Among the other released players are New Zealand cricketers Finn Allen, and Michael Bracewell, South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell, England's David Willey and Indian players like, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Siddharth Kaul and Kedar Jadhav.

Among the retained players are: Skipper Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, all-rounder Will Jacks (who missed out the last season due to injury), Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Siraj.