"You let Shubman Gill go, and I think that was a mistake" - Aakash Chopra on KKR making some 'interesting' retention choices 

Former India batter Aakash Chopra spoke about Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s strategy for the upcoming IPL mega auction. The two-time winners retained four players - Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer.

Chopra notes that the franchise made some interesting calls in terms of retention, as Russell, Narine and Chakravarthy have had persistent injury concerns, while Iyer is relatively inexperienced.

The 44-year-old notes that the franchise could save money, as they have secured their spin bowling unit. Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"KKR made some interesting retention choices. Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine all have injury issues, and Venkatesh Iyer has only played ten matches. KKR are the only team that won't be looking for a leg-spinner. They need a captain, and they should think of a short-term option; don't think long-term."

He feels that releasing Shubman Gill was a huge mistake, as he could have been groomed as a future captain. Chopra elaborated:

"They also need Indian batting depth. Shubman Gill was there; he could have been a future captaincy option as well. You let Shubman Gill go, and I think that was a mistake. They can try to bring back the players they have released like Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi. They will bid high for Shreyas Iyer; there is a possibility."

The IPL 2021 finalists won't have the option of buying back Shubman Gill in the auction. The 22-year-old struck a deal with the Gujarat Titans in the offseason for Rs 7 crore.

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"KKR will have to establish a pool of fast bowlers" - Aakash Chopra

The franchise established a fast bowling unit largely comprising Indian seamers. They have invested heavily in young fast bowlers like Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi in the past. Lockie Ferguson and Pat Cummins were the overseas options for the team.

With all the aforementioned players released, KKR will have to build a pace unit from scratch. Chopra feels there are plenty of established Indian pacers that the team can target, adding:

"KKR needs gun fast bowlers since they have secured their spin-bowling with Narine and Chakravarthy. They will have to establish a pool of fast bowlers. Try to buy back Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna, if possible. Or go hard for Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini or Harshal Patel. Things won't be possible without fast bowlers."

KKR have a purse of INR 48 crore remaining. The IPL mega auction takes place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.