Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has revealed details behind his near-transfer from Mumbai Indians (MI) to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of IPL 2009. Uthappa, who had played for MI in the inaugural IPL season of 2008, scored 320 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35.55 with a strike rate of 114.69. His highest score that season was 48. Speaking on the YouTube podcast First Umpire, Uthappa explained that the proposed move was linked to Mumbai’s interest in signing pacer Zaheer Khan. He said, “They wanted to bring Zaheer Khan from Bangalore to Mumbai, and they wanted to send me and Manish Pandey to Bangalore. That was a deal, I think, between the owners. I don’t know. I don’t know the insides of it. I played cricket only for the love of cricket and existed only from that space." Read also: India creates history after defeating Australia-W by 102 runs in the second ODI at Chandigarh Refused Transfer Highlights Loyalty in Cricket Despite the owners’ plan, Uthappa refused the transfer, citing loyalty to Mumbai. He added, “Loyalty is very big in cricket. So when I was playing for Mumbai, I felt like I am Mumbai, and I will not leave this and go anywhere. I wanted to make Mumbai win, that was my mindset. So when I was told that I was going to be transferred, I refused. I said I don’t want to be transferred, I don’t want to go." Uthappa went on to play two seasons for RCB (2009 and 2010), appearing in 31 matches and scoring 549 runs at an average of 23.87 with a strike rate of 141.49, including four half-centuries. Across his IPL career, Uthappa played 205 matches, amassing 4,952 runs at an average of 27.51 and a strike rate of 130.35, with 27 half-centuries. His most prolific season came in 2014, representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Uthappa earned the Orange Cap, scoring 660 runs in 16 innings at an average of 44.00 and a strike rate of 137.78, including five half-centuries. His contribution was pivotal in KKR’s title-winning campaign, cementing his place as one of the league’s most consistent performers.