Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer turned commentator feels that Kings XI Punjab looks in a strong position to come out as a winner in the upcoming Indian Premier League auction slated to be held on February 18 in Chennai.
KXIP has released a total of nine players from their squad comprising of some big names like Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell, Jimmy Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Tajinder Singh. Now, they have the most number amount in their purse that is INR 53.2 Crores.
KXIP Might Turn Up As A Winner In IPL 2021 Auction: Aakash Chopra
The former player feels that KXIP can come out as a real winner at the Indian Premier League 2021 auction. He feels that releasing nine players keeping the core intact is a big positive for KXIP. They need a couple of overseas bowlers and all-rounders. Also, they have the capacity to buy any big player in the upcoming players market.
“Kings XI Punjab can actually come out as a real winner at the IPL 2021 auction. Although they have let go of a lot of players, their core has not got impacted much. That has been a hallmark of a very good team, that the management is doing a very good job,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“They have 53.2 crores and have to fill only nine slots, so they are in a very decent space. They have let Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Karun Nair, and Krishnappa Gowtham go. They released 25-30 crore just by letting these four players go. But whoever is left is very very good. The Kings XI Punjab team is not that bad even after leaving so many big stars,” the former batsman added.
“According to me, they need at two overseas fast bowlers, two middle-order all-rounders, and a proper batsman. If they get that, they should be fine. They will be in a fantastic happy place if they have a good auction,” the former KKR batsman added.
“They need at least two all-rounders. Cameron Green, Moises Henriques, and Shakib Al Hasan – these are the kind of players I see going towards them. They will need bowlers and that is why they have probably saved money. It could be Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, or Mitchell McClenaghan. They have the biggest capacity to buy Starc as they have a lot of money,”
