IPL 2024 Auction: "Delhi Did A..." - Aakash Chopra Surprised With DC Not Picking Shahrukh Khan

Aakash Chopra was surprised to see that Delhi Capitals did not try to rope in Shahrukh Khan who was picked by Gujarat Titans in the auction. The Delhi Capitals spent a total of ₹19.05 crore to acquire nine players at the auction. They got good deals for Australian pacer Jhye Richardson and England batter Harry Brook getting them for 5 crores and 4 crores respectively.

Aakash Chopra was taken aback by Delhi Capitals’ auction strategy where they didn’t pick Shahrukh Khan, a player who could just do the job for them in the lower-middle order. Shahrukh Khan was bought by the 2022 champions Gujarat Titans. The Titans bid 7.40 crores to acquire the services of Shahrukh Khan.

“Delhi did a decent job. They picked Harry Brook. I was surprised they didn’t pick Shahrukh. They picked Tristan Stubbs and tried to pick one or two uncapped Indians who could bat well down the order. A slight hole is still seen in the lower-middle order but you will see a hole in many teams,” he said on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra reckons the Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting would have had a role to play in Richardson’s acquisition. “They were going after Spencer Johnson as well. Jhye Richardson’s acquisition has Ricky Ponting’s imprint. They wanted Spencer Johnson and Jhye Richardson because the coach is an Australian,” Chopra added. The Delhi-based franchise also added Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Dar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara, Ricky Bhui, and Sumit Kumar to their squad.

Aakash Chopra Was Also Surprised By Gujarat Titans In The IPL Auction

Aakash Chopra was surprised that Gujarat Titans didn’t get their first choices even after having the largest purse in this year’s auction. They fought for Harshal Patel and Mitchell Starc but eventually left them for other teams and it was also a surprise that they did not bid for Gerald Coetzee.

“Gujarat didn’t get their first choices, which was slightly surprising. You went after Mitchell Starc and Harshal Patel but you didn’t pick them. I was surprised they didn’t go after Gerald Coetzee,” he said.

The former India cricketer claimed that the other franchises’ tactics helped the Mumbai Indians’ cause. “I feel Gerald Coetzee is the steal of the auction, Mumbai took him for five crores. They got (Dilshan) Madushanka along with him for a total of around 9.5 crores, and we were assuming that both could individually go over 10 crores,” Chopra stated.

Aakash Chopra added that Gujarat Titans were stuck before they eventually bought Spencer Johnson and Shahrukh Khan for 10 crores and 7.40 crores respectively. He termed Azmatullah Omarzai as a really good acquisition for the 2022 champions. Azmatullah Omarzai is the third Afghan player in the Gujarat Titans’ squad after Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad.

The IPL 2024 auction saw eight hours of constant bidding war with teams even crossing the barrier of 20 crores for players. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Daryl Mitchell were the top three most expensive buys in this year’s Auction. Starc was bought for 24.75 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders whereas Cummins was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 20.50 crores. Daryl Mitchell joined Chennai Super Kings for 14.00 crores.