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Aakash Chopra has advised Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to explore Rinku Singh as a captaincy candidate if they cannot find an overseas player to lead the franchise at the upcoming auction.
Speaking on JioStar’s Game Plan ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, scheduled for December 16, Aakash Chopra discussed KKR’s leadership options. The three-time champions are searching for a new skipper after Ajinkya Rahane, who led the team to a seventh place finish this season, announced his retirement. The franchise also has question marks over the availability of two expensive signings, Cameron Green and Matheesha Pathirana. Green could have international commitments involving the 50 overs World Cup and The Ashes next year while Sri Lankan fast bowler Pathirana has been sidelined by injuries and has not played since May.
During his appearance on JioStar’s Game Plan, expert Aakash Chopra suggested that KKR part ways with Green and Pathirana, a move that could free up approximately Rs 43 crore for the franchise to spend at the auction.
“I am looking to leave out Cameron Green at Rs 25.2 crores. It is a World Cup year, and it is an Ashes year, so I am not sure about his availability or how many matches he will play. If you release him, even if you feel like buying him back, you can easily get him for 50 per cent cheaper. Secondly, Matheesha Pathirana is also not playing, so that’s another Rs 18 crore buy. KKR are likely to walk into this auction with the most amount of money, so that will be the big story,” he said.
“We also do not know what is going to happen with Mustafizur Rahman. If he is available and can play, you would want to retain him, but can he play? We don’t know about that. If he can play, I would still have him retained because you already have a surplus of Rs 43 crore with those two releases,” he added.
Aakash Chopra believes Rinku Singh deserves an opportunity to lead Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR pointing to his success in guiding Meerut Mavericks to the UPT20 title this year. He added that certain players need to be handed major responsibilities early to discover their true leadership potential.
“Appoint Rinku as the captain. You made him the vice-captain, right? Then have him as the captain now. He leads his side in the UPT20. Sometimes you have to throw people in at the deep end and see what happens. So, this is that opportunity, unless they can find somebody at the auction. If they can’t find anyone, rather than looking at overseas players, I will actually go towards Rinku,” he said.
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