"I don't see KL Rahul returning there" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's potential acquisitions at IPL 2025 auction

Aakash Chopra doesn't see the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) reacquiring KL Rahul at the IPL 2025 auction. He opined that the franchise's skipper for the last three years didn't have a pleasant departure.

LSG opted not to retain Rahul ahead of the auction, with team owner Sanjiv Goenka saying they held on to players who keep the team's interests ahead of their personal goals. Rahul also said he wants to play at a franchise where he enjoys a little more freedom.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the Lucknow Super Giants need Indian batters but opined that Rahul is unlikely to return to the franchise.

"They don't need a wicketkeeper-batter but they need batters. They will bid for Shreyas Iyer. They will bid if any other Indian comes. Too many Indians aren't available. So that is a slightly different story. They might bid for Venkatesh Iyer as well. They might bid for Nitish Rana as well," he said (13:10).

"Actually, they will bid for all batters and I feel they will buy slightly expensive batters. I feel the parting with KL Rahul hasn't been good. It seems like there is no good in goodbyes because their owner's statement and then Rahul's statement, it just tells us that all is not well. So I don't see KL Rahul returning there," Chopra added.

While acknowledging that LSG have retained two pacers, Chopra opined that they would want to bolster their seam-bowling department and need a left-arm spinner. He added that the franchise's auction will be worth watching as former player Zaheer Khan has joined them as the mentor.

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"He will be this team's captain" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's retention of Nicholas Pooran

The Lucknow Super Giants retained Nicholas Pooran for ₹21 crore. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Lucknow Super Giants' retentions, Aakash Chopra opined that Nicholas Pooran will lead the franchise in IPL 2025.

"They retained Nicholas Pooran for ₹21 crore and he will be this team's captain. It has been decided or why else would you have retained him. You let KL Rahul go. They have retained Ravi Bishnoi for ₹11 crore and Mayank Yadav also for ₹11 crore. These are interesting choices," he said in the same video.

While highlighting Mayank Yadav's match-defining potential, the former India opener termed the speedster a 'risky investment.'

"Mayank Yadav doesn't play all matches and remains slightly injured. However, when Mayank Yadav plays, he becomes the Player of the Match. It's a risky investment but an investment nevertheless. They have focussed a little more on bowling because they will get four overs each from Ravi Bishnoi and Mohsin Khan. They have firstly saved 12 overs of bowling," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra reckons Pooran is a good acquisition as a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter for LSG, highlighting that he is at par with Heinrich Klaasen. While observing that Ayush Badoni is another middle-order batter whom they have retained, Chopra added that the franchise still needs to do a lot of shopping.