Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, many Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been left wondering as to who will be retained by the franchise. Much to the delight of everyone, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra shared some insight as to who he thinks will be retained by the RCB management. The 44-year-old feels the franchise will retain former captain Virat Kohli and senior spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Chopra went on to add that the management could be stuck in a dilemma to choose between Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel. Speaking via his YouTube channel, he stated, "Virat Kohli, Yuzi Chahal. If it was in my hand for two more, then I would try to keep Mohammed Siraj and Devdutt Padikkal. These are my four players."
"In fact, I can think about Harshal too. So it's Siraj or Harshal. And Devdutt Padikkal. I want to keep these four players with Yuzi Chahal and Virat Kohli as my first two choices for retention", he added.
The commentator stated that the management will need to look at their vision, when choosing between Siraj and Harshal.
"You can see Siraj in terms of long-term vision. Harshal's development in the last 12 months has been very good", he said.
"But then you are looking at three seasons. Not just one or two."
Explaining his exclusion of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell from his list, Chopra quipped, "That's because I don't have 100% confidence on him. He is doing good but am not sure if he will maintain that."
During IPL 2021, RCB finished in third spot in the league table and qualified for the playoffs. The Bengaluru outfit crashed out of the playoffs after a defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator. It was also Kohli's last season as captain with the batter announcing that he would be quitting the role after IPL 2021.