Aakash Chopra takes brutal dig at RCB, DC over mega auction demands: 'You're upset because you haven't won'

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra took a brutal dig at IPL franchises in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings (PBKS) over their mega auction demands. He said that the teams want the auction because they haven’t won the title.

The meeting between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL franchises recently took place related to the discussions for the 2025 edition of the league. One of the prime topics for the meeting reportedly was whether should there be a mega auction or not.

The IPL 2025 is all set to have a mega auction. But during the recent meeting between the franchise owners and the BCCI, there were two arguments. Teams in SRH, KKR, MI, and others weren’t interested in the mega auction as they were of the opinion that they needed a bit of stability in the team and wanted rewards for scouting and backing young players who went on to become superstars.

On the other hand, some franchises including RCB and PBKS wanted big auctions so that they acquire fresh players. This is because they are yet to win the title and are keen to go into the new season of the league with new faces.

Aakash Chopra while talking about the same, these franchises want mega auction because they won’t be able to win until they hit the reset button. But the cricketer-turned-commentator was of the opinion that a mega auction every 3-4 years is unfair.

Aakash Chopra lashed out at the IPL franchises in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings (PBKS), saying that even after the previous mega auctions they haven’t been able to win. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"Some franchises say - 'How will we win if you don't allow the reset or reboot button to be pressed? Our team is not good currently and we want to dismantle it. We might keep a few people and leave everyone else, and we want to start afresh. Otherwise, it's unfair because you have to do a mega auction every third or fifth year,"

"It was heard that it was the Punjab team. It might be the Delhi team or the Bengaluru team because they have never won to date and if you do like this, they would never be able to win. The counterquestion to that is - You haven't won even though it was happening every three or five years.”

There should be a time when you say that mega auctions should be done away with - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further said that some franchises who scout players and invest in them, need some encouragement and hence mega auctions should be stopped as teams should be allowed to build teams. He added:

"Some franchises say - 'Let's invest, we should be made a part of it, we want to find, scout and invest, and it's our responsibility to prepare players'. Then whether they find Ashutosh (Sharma) from somewhere or give opportunities to Shashank (Singh), there will be many such players who they want to find and invest in, and they need encouragement for that,

"There should be a time when you say that mega auctions should be done away with. Allow them to start building a team together. You might allow a squad of 25 only but allow them to keep players with them for a long time,” Aakash Chopra concluded.