IPL 2022 Auctions | RCB will break the bank for Rahul Chahar, Jason Holder can be a captaincy option, says Aakash Chopra

IPL 2022 Auctions | RCB will break the bank for Rahul Chahar, Jason Holder can be a captaincy option, says Aakash Chopra

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Rahul Chahar was a key part of Mumbai Indians' title wins in 2019 and 2020

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With RCB having rather surprisingly released their premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Aakash Chopra feels that Rahul Chahar could be his replacement, and the franchise would go all-out after the 22-year-old in the mega auctions. Chopra also identified Jason Holder as a possible captaincy candidate.

The eight IPL existing teams finalized their list of retained players ahead of the 2022 mega auctions and given the four-player limit and purse constraints, there were quite a few notable omissions. RCB, the three-time runners-up, retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj, and rather surprisingly let leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal go, reportedly with the financial deal not striking between the player and the franchise.

Chahal is currently the ninth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, with 139 wickets at 22.28 to date, 51 of which have come at Bangalore’s batting-friendly Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Aakash Chopra felt that the franchise could go after Rahul Chahar as Chahal’s replacement in the long run. Interestingly, Chahar, who was an integral part of Mumbai Indians’ 2019 and 2020 title wins, was picked ahead of the experienced Chahal in India’s T20 World Cup 2021 squad.

“RCB will not get Rashid, they can forget about that,” Chopra said during a Q & A session on his YouTube channel. “Instead, they will go after Rahul Chahar, big time. No spinners apart from leg spinners work at the Chinnaswamy stadium. He also bowls a lot quicker in the air. Ravi Bishnoi is also an option, but I’m thinking Rahul Chahar, they will break the bank for him. Chahal might not make it to the auctions.”

With Kohli having stepped down from the leadership role, Chopra identified Jason Holder as a potential captaincy candidate, while also considering Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and David Warner for the role.

“For RCB, Jason Holder is also an option for captaincy. They need to buy a new captain and it could be Holder. When I think about the pitch over there and other things, I think Holder could be a valuable player. He does well in all the teams,” Chopra added.

“Teams ideally go towards Indian captains, so the obvious captaincy candidates for the two new teams are KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. But KL Rahul and Warner are also a possibility. Apart from them, I don’t see anybody. Don’t see teams picking Ishan Kishan or R Ashwin for captaincy.”

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