Aakash Chopra has this gut feeling that SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) gotta hold onto Pat Cummins before the IPL 2025 auction. Hes pondering whether the franchise needs to sweettalk the Australian Test and ODI skipper into sticking around as captain for the next three years.
SRH finished last in the IPL 2023 under Aiden Markram’s leadership. Pat Cummins was purchased for ₹20.50 crore in the IPL 2024 auction and designated as its skipper. The decision paid off well, as they became runners-up in the recently finished season.
In a YouTube video, Aakash Chopra stated that Cummins should be SunRisers Hyderabad’s first retention.
“It’s absolutely mandatory to retain Pat Cummins because there are 10 teams in the IPL, and you don’t get a captain. You have to go shopping for a captain and too many Indian names aren’t available, and those who are there aren’t released. So it is going to be an interesting one. Can you convince Pat Cummins for three more years?”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra picked Abhishek Sharma as the second player that SRH should keep.
“I will keep Abhishek Sharma at No. 2 because you won’t get an Indian talent like Abhishek Sharma. There is a lot of value in Indian retentions because it won’t be that easy to pick such players again at the auction. They will be very expensive and when you have seen someone doing so well with you, keep him, why should you release him?”
Aakash Chopra
Abhishek was the SunRisers Hyderabad’s second-highest run scorer in the IPL 2024. His 484 runs with a strike rate of 204.21 in 16 innings trailed only Travis Head’s 567 runs.
“I will want to retain Travis Head but my third player will be Heinrich Klaasen” – Aakash Chopra on the other players SunRisers Hyderabad should hold on to
According to Aakash Chopra, the SunRisers Hyderabad should keep Heinrich Klaasen as their second overseas player instead of Travis Head, with the latter potentially regaining the ‘Right to Match’ card.
“I will want to retain Travis Head but my third player will be Heinrich Klaasen. You can get other players for the position at which Travis Head bats but the position at which Heinrich Klaasen bats – Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Heinrich Klaasen. So I will want to retain Heinrich Klaasen.”
“After that comes Travis Head, but will they be able to retain 3 overseas players? You might have to use the ‘Right to Match’ card for Travis Head but do it, it’s okay. Between Klaasen and Travis Head, I will go with Klaasen. I will leave Travis Head.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra suggested that SRH may have to select between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan for their second Indian retention.
“I might or might not retain Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Actually, I might let him go, although his performance has been very good. He is 34 and will become 37. He has collected a lot of bowling miles. So he might not remain that penetrative for three years.”
“T Natarajan can remain (penetrative), although he is not very young either. He is 33 but has not bowled enough number of overs for the juice to have finished. So there, T Natarajan or Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an attempt to retain one of them, or else I might want to hold on to them through the ‘Right to Match’ card.”
Aakash Chopra
With 19 wickets in 14 innings Natarajan excelled as the leading bowler for SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. Bhuvneshwar having taken 11 dismissals in 16 matches stood as the thirdhighest wickettaker for the franchise trailing behind T Natarajan and Pat Cummins who registered 18 scalps.
