"How will they make a place for him?" - Aakash Chopra questions Punjab Kings for spending ₹8 crore to acquire Rilee Rossouw at IPL 2024 auction

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for acquiring Rilee Rossouw for a huge sum at the IPL 2024 auction even though he might not get a regular place in their playing XI.

PBKS spent ₹8 crore to buy Rossouw at the auction last year. They purchased a total of eight players for ₹24.95 crore, with Harshal Patel (₹11.75 crore) and Chris Woakes (₹4.20 crore) being their other big-ticket acquisitions.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra wasn't convinced about the Punjab Kings' call to buy Rossouw. He reasoned (5:20):

"They let Rilee Rossouw go at the start but later broke the bank for him. A very interesting pick. He played an odd good knock last year, one was against them only actually. I remember it was a match against Delhi, Rilee Rossouw was batting and they gave the 20th over to Harpreet Brar."

"Rilee smashed him, so they probably kept him as he won't be able to hit their players if he is in their team. Rilee Rossouw for eight crores - how will they make a place for him? Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran - it will be difficult to make a place for him," the former India opener added.

Chopra reckons Chris Woakes might also not be useful for PBKS in their conditions, highlighting that the England all-rounder is likely to give limited benefits or rewards in Mohali.

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"They needed a partner for Arshdeep" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' acquisition of Harshal Patel

The Royal Challengers Bangalore released Harshal Patel ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that the Punjab Kings needed an Indian seam-bowling partner for Arshdeep Singh, elaborating (4:15):

"They had an Indian fast bowler in the form of Arshdeep (Singh) but apart from him, all their fast bowlers were overseas, whether it was Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis or Sam Curran. So they needed a partner for Arshdeep who could provide some help in the death overs or with the new ball."

The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that PBKS were willing to pay an exorbitant sum to acquire Harshal Patel. He said:

"Although I like their overseas recruits - Rabada and Nathan Ellis - a lot, it's not the right thing if you are forced to play both of them with Sam Curran. So they bought Harshal Patel for 11.75 crores. They were committed, they said they wanted this player at any cost."

The Punjab Kings outbid the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants to acquire Harshal's services. Apart from Rossouw, Woakes and Harshal, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side bought Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan and Prince Choudhary at the auction.