Ahead of the 2021 IPL auction, each of the eight franchises is required to share the list of their retained and released players by January 20th.
While speculations are rife as to which players will be retained and released by their respective franchises, former India opener Aakash Chopra shared his views on the same.
Speaking on Star Sports Show, Chopra opined on players from five-time champions Mumbai Indians and 2008 IPL winners Rajasthan Royals.
“On paper, Rajasthan Royal feels like one of the most complete teams in the IPL, but on the field, the team has failed to impress even its staunch supporters. Though RR had something to cheer about in Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag last season, they still finished at the bottom of the table.
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I feel the team needs a new leader and that has to be at the top of the priority list next season. I think the team should not release their current young talents such as Akash Singh, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, and Kartik Tyagi,” he said.
Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals to capture their 5th IPL title and for the first time in their history, defended their title as well, given that they had won IPL in 2019 as well. 
Chopra said of Mumbai Indians, “Coming to the defending champions Mumbai Indians, they currently possess the dream squad. There are a lot of highly talented players who are almost like-for-like replacements on the bench. Now, with the possible return of Lasith Malinga, the team could be less experimental with the overseas players.”
Apart from these two teams, Aakash Chopra also had some words of advice to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), captained by MS Dhoni. For the first time in their IPL history. CSK had failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2020 and was the first team eliminated from the race of the final four.
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“As the deadline for the IPL Player Retention process approaches, I feel now would be the right time for CSK to shed their ‘Dad’s Army’ tag and introduce young talent in the team. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has relied heavily on senior players who have performed in the past, but he along with the CSK think-tank needs to change their strategy.
They would certainly need to retain last year’s match-winners like Ambati Rayudu, Shardul Thakur, and Ruturaj Gaikwad,” advised Chopra.
He also had some suggestions for Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), which yet again failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2020.
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Chopra said, "RCB on the other hand, looks like they have finally found a balanced squad. Mike Hesson, at the helm of affairs, has proven to be very effective for the team. Like almost every other team, even RCB have few players who can be released.
With Parthiv Patel’s voluntary retirement, the team management can also look at moving away from Umesh Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Moeen Ali.”
(Star Sports inputs)
