Natarajan delighted at Sunrisers picking him

Coming from a penurious background, his rags-to-riches tale was the talk of the whole Tamil Nadu, and indeed the country, when Kings XI Punjab splashed three crores on him at the IPL auction.

His stint with Kings XI didn’t exactly go according to what he would have envisaged and soon after he was laid low by an elbow injury he picked up during the second edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League. 

Things quickly spiralled down as he missed the entire TN’s Ranji campaign after undergoing an elbow surgery in Mumbai. The time he spent convalescing was the most distressing as that denied him the chance to be in the swim of things with TN having a rough time. 

With players back in the auction pool on Saturday ahead of the 11th edition of the IPL, Natarajan was a little uptight about what lay in store. But as the first day of the auction was drawing to a close, it also brought an end to his misplaced fears of being a forgotten man when Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him for Rs. 40 lakh. 

“I’m extremely happy with Sunrisers choosing me. I was fervently hoping that there would be some takers for me. The last four months have been tough as I missed more matches than I played because of the elbow surgery. I kept tabs on the auction all through the day and I’m glad that I got another chance to play in the IPL,” said the 26-year-old. 

Asked if he felt disappointed at his ‘home’ team Chennai Super Kings not bidding for him, Natarajan said the only thing he ever wanted was a team to represent and that he was not worried by the ‘snub’. “I was not worried about whether CSK would bid for me and in any case I didn’t have many expectations because of spending time on the sidelines. In spite of that, Sunrisers reposed faith in my potential and I would do everything I can to repay that faith,” added Natarajan in an unmistakable tone of excitement. 

Natarajan was unperturbed by his price diminishing sharply and feels it’s not an indication of his performance in last IPL. “I couldn’t do as well as I wanted for Punjab because I didn’t get a chance to bowl in the death overs. That’s where my strength lies and hopefully this year I will prove my worth,” remarked Natarajan. Following months of ordeal and doubts over his future, Natarajan can at last sleep without a care in the world.