"You gave 10 crores to take him from Delhi" - Aakash Chopra criticizes KKR for their handling of Shardul Thakur

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for their handling of Shardul Thakur in IPL 2023.

KKR traded in Shardul for ₹10.75 crore from the Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. The seam-bowling all-rounder picked up seven wickets and conceded an average of 10.47 runs per over in the 11 matches he played in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League.

On the 'AakashVani' show on JioCinema, Chopra picked some of the players who were not utilized effectively by their franchises. He pointed out that Shardul was underused despite being acquired at an exorbitant price:

"Lord Thakur came to bat at No. 3 once. He didn't bowl that day. Then when he was bowling, he was given one over at times and didn't bowl at all on other occasions. Batting at No. 3 at times and didn't bat at all on other occasions. It was beyond my understanding."

The former Indian opener added:

"He was slightly injured, he probably bowled a little less because of that, but to not bowl at all - you gave 10 crores to take him from Delhi. A 10-crore player, an Indian international, somebody who has this wicket-taking luck, he makes things happen, but he was not used properly at all."

Chopra highlighted that KKR similarly underutilized Lockie Ferguson too. The New Zealand speedster was acquired from the Gujarat Titans for ₹10 crore but got to play only three matches in IPL 2023.

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"If it's up to him, he should leave the franchise today itself" - Aakash Chopra on Umran Malik's mishandling by the SunRisers Hyderabad

Aakash Chopra was also peeved by the SunRisers Hyderabad's mismanagement of Umran Malik, stating:

"Then I remember Umran Malik. If it's up to him, he should leave the franchise today itself, that he doesn't want to play for Hyderabad. Why am I saying that, because a bowler who bowls at 150 kph, we all know that he can be expensive, but the way Umran Malik was not utilized at all has disappointed me."

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the Jammu and Kashmir speedster was not used as per his strengths:

"You got him to bowl an over in the powerplay once. You never see him bowling an over in the powerplay. He conceded 26-odd runs in that and then you didn't bowl him at all. Then you don't play him a match at all and when you play him, you bowl him very less. It's a travesty that the Hyderabad franchise couldn't use Umran Malik properly."

Chopra named Shahrukh Khan and Dhruv Jurel as two other players who were not used properly by their franchises. He reasoned that the Punjab Kings held back Shahrukh exclusively for the last few deliveries and that the Rajasthan Royals should have utilized Jurel more than the underperforming Riyan Parag.