Former India opener Aakash Chopra has shared his views on the players Lucknow Super Giants should retain for the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025).
Most of the teams will have to overhaul their squads because of the upcoming mega auction. The board is yet to confirm the number of players a franchise can retain but the teams are unlikely to retain more than 4 or 5 players. As per recent reports, the BCCI is keen on retaining the ‘3+1’ rule that will allow the franchises to retain 3 players and acquire one more through the Right to Match card.
And while only time will how things unfold in the coming days, Aakash Chopra has opened up on the players LSG should retain ahead of the mega auction. The former cricketer-turned-commentator began by sharing his views on LSG captain KL Rahul and his deputy Nicholas Pooran.
Rahul has been leading the franchise for the last three seasons. However, there are doubts over his future with the team following the infamous incident in IPL 2024 when LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka had openly scolded the wicketkeeper-batsman after the heavy loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chopra stated that LSG should retain Pooran and Rahul as well if the latter wants to stay with the team. The former cricketer stated that LSG will have to find a new captain if they release Rahul and they are unlikely to get an Indian player of that quality. He also spoke about Marcus Stoinis, saying that the Australia allrounder has been very inconsistent.
“Nicholas Pooran should be retained in my opinion. KL Rahul should be retained if he wants to be retained because you want a captain and you won’t get an Indian player of that quality,” said Aakash Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.
“Marcus Stoinis is in the maybe or maybe not category. If he is good, he is very, very good, but the good days are often fewer than bad days. So that is a concern. You want more good days,” Chopra explained.
Aakash Chopra on LSG bowlers:
Speaking further, Aakash Chopra shared his views on the bowlers that LSG can retain. He stated that he won’t retain any bowler apart from leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and pacer Mayank Yadav. Chopra also highlighted that he won’t even retain allrounder Krunal Pandya and would like to start afresh.
“I won’t want to retain anyone apart from Ravi Bishnoi in bowling. If I am getting Mayank Yadav in the uncapped category for three to four crores, I might retain him, but I will let everyone else go. I will also let Krunal Pandya go. I will not retain anyone,” he said.
“I will say that I will start afresh. I will let Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers and Ashton Turner go because I feel it’s time to make a team with more specialists because bits and pieces won’t work at their ground. Players who play proper cricket, who can hit sixes and bowl well with the big side boundaries, will work here. I will be tempted to press the reboot button,” Chopra added.
