Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Kolkata Knight Riders should not retain too many players next season – and opt for youngster Shubman Gill as the captain. KKR had a mediocre season in the UAE- where they won 7 out of 14 games but failed to make the playoffs due to lower Net Run Rate. The franchise had spent the big bucks on fast bowler Pat Cummins, but KKR were ousted just when the seamer started showing signs of form.
Chopra thinks that KKR should release Cummins and spinner Sunil Narine and revamp most of the team. “In my opinion, the Kolkata Knight Riders should not retain too many players. I will take only three names – Shubman Gill, Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy,” the former India batsman said in the latest video on his Youtube channel.
“They should retain the three of them and make Shubman Gill the captain. I am thinking ahead, just like the Delhi Capitals did with Shreyas Iyer. So, KKR should groom Gill for a better future,” he added.
“If KKR is seeing any captaincy material in Shubman Gill, then they will not get the chance again. If they let him go to another team, then Shubman Gill might do for that team what Rohit Sharma has done for Mumbai.”
They have to retain Varun Chakravarthy in any case and if they leave Andre Russell, he will be too expensive to buy again, so they should retain him as well.”
“They can release Sunil Narine and Pat Cummins as a lot of money will get freed up when they release these two players,” he further suggested.
“Eoin Morgan, even if they want to make him the captain which I don’t think is a great idea, will not go for 12-15 crores in the auction. So I feel they should let him go and buy him back again if they want him,” Chopra signed off.
