Chris Morris was sold to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 for a whopping sum of INR 16.25 Cr and became the most expensive player bought in the IPL Auction history. On February 18th, 2021, when the Rajasthan Royals think tank at the IPL 2021 player auction soaked in the applause from the room after bagging the services of South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a whopping sum, the man in the spotlight barely found time to celebrate the milestone.
Chris Morris had only returned from a practice session with the Titans a little while before his name went under the hammer. After an intense bidding war that saw his name penned down in the record books, the all-rounder received numerous calls and congratulatory messages.
Chris Morris: Irrespective Of Hefty Money Tag, One Has To Justify Selection And Not Paychecks In IPL
“Absolutely, I can’t hide the happiness. The second thing I did once I got off the flight and landed home was I got my second jab, but I spent some time away, played golf and switched off completely from the rest of the world. Recharged the batteries, but I am now back at the Titans, looking forward to some cricket,” Chris Morris said on happiness on returning home after IPL 2021 concluded.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you are being paid, I believe you have to justify selection but not justify paychecks. As a player, paychecks are out of your control, you’ve got no control over what happens in the auction. In terms of fear of the price tag, I didn’t demand it, it was out of my hands. I was very grateful to be wanted by teams.”
“I couldn’t really celebrate, I had just come back from practice for the Titans. Myself and Shimon Harmer sat in my room and watched it unfold. It was the first one I’ve watched properly, so it was quite a good experience,” Chris Morris said on hefty price tag and celebrations after being the most expensive player in IPL 2021 auctions.
The South African all-rounder was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2020, and despite missing the initial part of the season, he made his presence felt with the ball, scalping 11 wickets from 9 games averaging 19.09 in IPL 2020. He picked 15 scalps from 11 games averaging 25.06 for Rajasthan Royals in 2021, besides scoring 67 runs.
Chris Morris Feels Luck Wasn’t In Rajasthan Royals Side In The UAE Leg Of IPL 2021
The consistent form of Rajasthan Royals’ skipper, Sanju Samson, was the biggest positive for the side. The 26-year-old amassed 484 runs at an incredible average of 40 runs per match in 14 encounters for his side. He was also the first player to score a hundred this season.
“We started to gain momentum in the first half, guys were taking wickets and scoring runs. Honestly, the COVID break made a big difference. I don’t think we performed to the ability we could, we showed glimpses of it and lady luck was not on our side. You don’t drop those many catches, balls landing in no man’s land, inside edges hitting the stumps. In cricket, you need that luck,” Chris Morris said on performing poorly in the UAE leg.
“In the end it was disappointing, we had a good squad, but we had some guys who were missing. We were off from where we wanted to be, but that said, we had some serious youngsters who in the future will play a lot of cricket for India. But all in all, disappointed, it hurts a little bit but the sun always comes up the next day and we get another opportunity next year ,” Chris Morris said on Rajasthan Royals performance.
“It doesn’t matter which team I play for, everyday I try and perform, and the pressure is exactly the same. In terms of responsibilities, I was the senior player with a bit of a leadership role behind the scenes, but on the field it’s always the same pressure to perform and it’s just one of the things. It was a disappointing second half, but these things happen in cricket.”
“The guy was on a 117 in a T20, he’s got every right to deny a single. He hit two balls before that for six, so 100 times out of a 100 I’m getting back, so no issues at all, ” on Sanju Samson denying a single.
“Dhoni is obviously one of the best at the game as captain, Virat is paving his own way as a great captain. Sanju is a young man, it was his first year as IPL captain and that’s not a very easy job, especially when you’ve got disruptions in the squad and the team,” Chris Morris said on IPL skipper’s comparison betwen Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson and MS Dhoni.
“How Sanju handled himself to be calm was incredible, especially considering the pressure we were facing. One thing about him is that he backs his players to the end, that’s one thing he’s got going. He’s got an unbelievable cricket brain, the way he thinks about the game, the way he talks about the game, he will only grow from strength to strength,” Chris Morris said on rating Sanju Samson as skippper.
“I’m pretty sure of my role on the team. I know my job is to hit sixes, but I haven’t hit nearly as many as I’ve wanted to because I’m often facing the world’s best. I know I need to finish off games, I didn’t do it enough in this tournament but in terms of facing a slightly newer ball and facing faster bowlers, I’m happy to leave it there, to be honest,” Chris Morris said on batting position and role.
Rajasthan Royals’ star players, like Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes, were unavailable for the UAE leg of the competition. Considering their performances this season, Rajasthan Royals will look to revamp their entire squad for the cash-rich league in 2022.
Jofra Archer missed out from playing in IPL 2021 due to injury, while Jos Buttler, who was recently blessed with a child, opted out of IPL 2021 UAE leg, and Ben Stokes prioritized his mental wellbeing and decided to not play in India’s Test tour and UAE Leg of IPL 2021 besides T20I World Cup 2021. He was injured in the 1st game for Rajasthan Royals in India.