IPL 2021: 'The Chennai Super Kings should release everyone and pick their team judiciously while using the RTM card' - Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should not retain any of their players, and must build their team from scratch if there is a mega-auction before IPL 2021.

He made this observation while talking about the road ahead for the Chennai-based franchise in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra started by suggesting that the Chennai Super Kings should completely revamp their squad before IPL 2021. He observed that the franchise should continue to have some of the players like Sam Curran, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad in their team.

"My suggestion to the Chennai Super Kings would be to completely overhaul their team. In the sense, don't completely change it, you have to keep Sam Curran, Dhoni has to stay, you want Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad to be with them."

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Aakash Chopra on the auction strategy the Chennai Super Kings should adopt

Aakash Chopra believes the Chennai Super Kings should not retain any of their players [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Chennai Super Kings will have to assess if any of their players are likely to be sold at exorbitant prices at the auction.

"But one thing they have to keep in mind is that, if it is a mega-auction, if they have players on whom they should be spending 15 or 12 crores to retain them. If they leave Deepak Chahar, will he go for 15 crores or if they leave Faf du Plessis, will he be sold very expensive or will Sam Curran will go for 12-15 crores."

He reckoned that none of the Chennai Super Kings players are likely to be sold at the auction for an amount higher than their retention price.

"I don't think the Chennai Super Kings have any player who if they leave and he goes into at the auction and gets a bid higher than the amount they would have spent to retain him."

The 43-year-old added that the franchise will have to keep player ages in mind while building the team for the future.

"So they should leave and try to build a team in a pragmatic manner because they have to keep in mind that it will be an auction for three years, so a player who is 37 years old now may not be able to play when he is 40."

He observed that the Chennai Super Kings surprised one and all by their excellent performances in two of the last three editions of the IPL with a team that has been referred to as the Dad's Army.

"They had shown it last time and stunned all of us who felt that they have built a Dad's Army but that team did very well, they won one year, reached the final one year but it is alright if they didn't reach one year. This was always going to be a tough year and COVID-19 made it tougher."

Aakash Chopra signed off by iterating that the Chennai Super Kings should release all their players and build their team with the bigger purse that would be available, using the RTM card wherever required.

"So they should release everyone and pick their team judiciously while using the RTM card. When they have more money left, they can make another very good team."

It would certainly not be a bad idea for the Chennai Super Kings to go for a complete revamp and build their team from scratch. They could reserve the RTM card for some of their key players and look to buy back the others at the auction.