"They have already got a very good captain" - Aakash Chopra rates RCB 7.5/10 for their picks at the IPL 2022 Auction

Aakash Chopra believes the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have acquired a very good captain at the IPL 2022 Auction. He also gave an overall rating of 7.5 out of 10 to the franchise's squad.

Faf du Plessis was one of RCB's big-ticket buys at the mega auction. The South African veteran is widely believed to be the likely candidate to take over the franchise's captaincy duties from Virat Kohli.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra had the following to say about RCB's picks:

"I have given RCB 7.5 out of 10. They have already got a very good captain and they have invested a lot of money on the bowlers, whether it is Josh Hazlewood or Jason Behrendoff. You have Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga - 10.75 crores and have given themselves an option in Karn Sharma."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels RCB's perennial lower-middle order batting issues still persist. Aakash Chopra explained:

"They spent money on Sherfane Rutherford. Lower-middle order is the only problem seen, which was there earlier as well and is there today also because Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mahipal Lamror - you might have to play three out of four and in difficult positions."

RCB were hit hard by a lack of runs from their lower-middle order in IPL 2021. Their problems might get compounded this year with AB de Villiers' absence from their squad.

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"The first XI is looking good" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's squad

The Kolkata Knight Riders will have a new captain in IPL 2022

Aakash Chopra gave a slightly better rating for the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) picks. He observed:

"KKR - 7.7/10 is what I have rated them. The first XI is looking good. They have kept Ajinkya Rahane with Venkatesh Iyer, maybe as the opener, maybe something else is there on their mind. Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer - I thought very very good buys."

The former KKR player is particularly pleased with the franchise's lower-middle order. Aakash Chopra elaborated:

"The good thing is that they didn't spend 17 crores for the captain. Shreyas Iyer was in any case worth 12.25 crores. Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins is a very good lower-middle order."

Aakash Chopra concluded by terming the KKR unit a good side. He said:

"There is an opener in the form of Alex Hales, you have a fast bowler in Chamika Karunaratne. They bought Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Nabi towards the end. Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy - I think this is a good side."

KKR were on the lookout for a wicketkeeper until late in the auction, with Sheldon Jackson the only such player in their squad. However, Sam Billings' acquisition would have helped them plug that hole.