IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra's overseas player picks for SRH and KKR

Aakash Chopra has named the four overseas players the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) should each field in their IPL 2021 encounter on Sunday.

KKR and SRH are the only two franchises to have an overseas skipper in IPL 2021 and would thus be required to pick just three other overseas professionals to complete their maximum allowed quota.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra named Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan as the three foreign players he would like to see in the SRH playing XI alongside David Warner.

"The Sunrisers Hyderabad have an outstanding overseas contigent. You will get a headache while deciding whom to leave and whom to pick. The four I will choose will be Warner, Williamson, Nabi and Rashid," said Chopra.

While acknowledging that Jonny Bairstow is an alluring option, the reputed commentator preferred to go with Williamson as the second overseas batsman.

"Bairstow will be close because he is coming in excellent form but Williamson is one for the long haul seeing the conditions at Chepauk and is a more assured kind of asset. So I will like to invest in him," observed Aakash Chopra.

With Rashid Khan being a sure-shot pick, Aakash Chopra opted to go with Nabi ahead of Jason Holder for the all-rounder's position considering the spin-friendly conditions in Chennai.

"You should definitely keep Rashid and Nabi together and probably not Holder because spin will work more on this pitch and Hyderabad already has quite a few fast-bowling options because Bhuvi is fit," added Chopra.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma are likely to form SRH's three-pronged pace attack if they choose to go with Khan and Nabi as the two spinners.

---

Aakash Chopra's four overseas picks for the Kolkata Knight Riders

Aakash Chopra observed Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, and Andre Russell are likely to be certainties in the KKR playing XI, with a close fight between Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine for the final overseas position.

"For KKR, three of the four overseas can be Morgan, Pat Cummins and Andre Russell. It is difficult for me to pick if you should play Shakib or Narine as the fourth overseas player," said Chopra.

The former KKR player feels the Bangladesh all-rounder has a slight edge over the Trinidadian.

"I am tilting towards Shakib a little bit but let's see. I don't think you will like to play Lockie Ferguson unless of course if you are thinking of playing Bhajji, Varun and Kuldeep," signed off Chopra.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are unlikely to field Lockie Ferguson and Pat Cummins together on the low and slow Chepauk surface. Shakib Al Hasan might just pip Sunil Narine to the spin-bowling all-rounder's spot, considering the latter's waning effectiveness with both the bat and the ball.