There have been some cricketers who have failed to make it to the Indian side in their illustrious career, while there are some, who do not leave any stone unturned and put their everything despite being
once in the national side. Among them is fast bowler Navdeep Saini. Having last played for India in 2021, Saini has slipped from the national setup, but eyes to make a return.
While the Indian pacer is currently plying his trade in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025, he aims to make a return not only in the Indian colours but also in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Speaking on the sidelines of DPL 2025, also opened up of making a comeback while naming his favourite side in the IPL.
I'd love to play for RCB: Navdeep Saini eyes IPL comeback
Speaking with PTI, Saini recalled his start in cricket, stating, "Yes, in the beginning - especially since I hadn't played much competitive cricket for a while - the start wasn't great. One or two matches went okay, not exactly bad, but also not up to my own expectations. From my point of view, I felt I needed to do better. So after the first couple of matches, I started paying more attention - analyzing what was going on in the game and how I could improve. Whatever errors there were, I corrected them. After that, the results speak for themselves - the bowling has been good, and everything's going better now.”
The Karnal-born pacer also opened up on the desire to play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, despite his last appearance in the cash-rich league coming in 2021. “Honestly, I'd love to play for RCB because I've spent a lot of time with them. The vibe and atmosphere of that team is really good. So I've always had that desire to play for RCB,” Saini added.
“Yes, I felt really good that RCB won. I was with the team for several years, and I saw how much preparation went into every season. Despite putting in all that hard work, we couldn't win the final. So we always used to wonder: why aren't we winning?" said the former RCB fast bowler.
It is to be noted that Navdeep Saini has only played for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. In 32 matches of his IPL career, he has picked 23 wickets averaging 42.34 and at an economy of 8.88.
