"Why was Kumble removed?" - Aakash Chopra questions Punjab Kings on not making many changes to their squad at IPL 2023 Auction

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) decision to remove Anil Kumble as head coach considering they didn't make too many changes to their squad at the IPL 2023 auction.

PBKS released nine players, including last year's skipper Mayank Agarwal, ahead of the auction. They acquired only six players at the auction, with Sam Curran at ₹18.5 crores being their only big-ticket buy.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra wondered why the Punjab Kings parted ways with Kumble. He said:

"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."

The former Indian opener also questioned PBKS' decision to not pick their full quota of overseas players, elaborating:

"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?"

Chopra stated that baring Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza, PBKS did not acquire any other prominent player, observing:

"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."

PBKS retained five overseas players - Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Nathan Ellis - from last year's squad. They added Curran and Raza to their overseas contingent at the auction but opted not to pick an eighth foreign player, even though they had ₹12.95 crores left in their purse.

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"Sam Curran is a phenomenal pick" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' acquisition of the England all-rounder

Sam Curran has previously played for the Punjab Kings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

However, Akash Chopra was extremely pleased with Sam Curran's acquisition, explaining:

"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."

Chopra added that the huge side boundaries in Mohali will work to Curran's advantage as a bowler. He added that the left-arm seamer might not have been a great pick for smaller home grounds like the Wankhede or Chinnaswamy Stadium as he predominantly bowls short at the death.