IPL 2023: Why Was Anil Kumble Removed?- Aakash Chopra Criticizes Punjab Kings' Decision Making

In light of the fact that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) didn’t make many changes to their roster during the IPL 2023 auction, Aakash Chopra has questioned the team’s decision to fire Anil Kumble as head coach.

Prior to the auction, PBKS released nine players, including the previous year’s captain Mayank Agarwal. At the auction, they only bought six players, Sam Curran being their lone high-profile acquisition for 18.5 crores.

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Aakash Chopra Questions Decision Taken By Punjab Kings Regarding Anil Kumble

Aakash Chopra questioned the decision by the Punjab Kings to break company with Kumble in a video posted on his YouTube page. He stated:

“If you (PBKS) have not made changes, it means Anil Kumble had made the right team. You had done a good squad selection, just had to do a little tweaking and not wholesale changes, Trevor Bayliss felt like that. So why was Kumble removed? I am just wondering.”

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The former Indian opener questioned PBKS’ choice to not choose their whole allotment of foreign players, specifically stating:

“If anyone had the money to spend after Hyderabad, it was the Punjab Kings. They have kept a 22-member squad, you can keep 25, with seven overseas. They should have kept one more overseas player. I understand that COVID is behind us but you should have a contingency plan. Did they miss a trick?”

Aakash Chopra said that PBKS did not acquire any other well-known player outside Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza, noting:

“They bought Sam Curran. They got Sikandar Raza very cheap, at the base price. To be fair, they didn’t spend much other than Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza. Sam Curran was definitely very expensive and then Harpreet Bhatia, Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh – not really much.”

Five international players from the team from the previous season were kept by PBKS: Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Nathan Ellis. Despite having 12.95 crores remaining in their budget, they chose not to choose an eighth foreign player at the auction but instead added Curran and Raza to their roster of players from abroad.

Sam Curran Is A Phenomenal Pick: Aakash Chopra

However, Akash Chopra expressed his immense satisfaction with the purchase of Sam Curran, saying:

“Sam Curran is a phenomenal pick. He does two things for you. Arshdeep Singh’s stature has grown. They can play one of Kagiso Rabada or Nathan Ellis. And then Sam Curran is your death or middle-overs bowler, and lower middle-order batter. He is all that you want.”

Aakash Chopra noted that Curran’s bowling will benefit from the massive side boundaries at Mohali. He said that because the left-arm seamer typically bowls short towards the end, smaller home venues like the Wankhede or Chinnaswamy Stadium would not have been the best choice.

Also Read: IPL Auction 2023: 3 Players Who Can Captain SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) In IPL 2023

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