"Very difficult question to address" - Aakash Chopra on South African players having to choose between IPL 2022 and Bangladesh series
Aakash Chopra feels the South African players will have to make a tough call to choose between IPL 2022 and national duty.
South Africa are scheduled to play Bangladesh in ODI and Test series in March and April, which would overlap with the start of IPL 2022. Cricket South Africa (CSA) will reportedly leave it up to the players if they want to choose the prestigious league ahead of the national side.
National duty or IPL? 🤔
A tough call for South African players after CSA left it up to the players to make the decision 👀
#IPL2022 #CSA https://t.co/56liScnzdn
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra had the following to say about the development:
"South Africa have said that they will tell the players that they have the option, let's test your loyalty to the nation. Very difficult question to address because the ODI series will start on March 18, the IPL is starting on March 26 and there is a three-day quarantine before that."
The former India cricketer highlighted that the Lucknow Super Giants might have to do without Quinton de Kock at the start of the tournament. Aakash Chopra explained:
"The three ODIs are on March 18, 20 and 23. Quinton de Kock is an important member here, so he might not be available for the first match. Lucknow Super Giants - think about it, unless he decides to miss those ODIs."
De Kock is likely to open alongside KL Rahul in IPL 2022. The Lucknow Super Giants have the option to use Evin Lewis at the top of the order if the Proteas wicketkeeper-batter is not available.
"It is extremely necessary for the Gujarat Titans to play David Miller" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra pointed out that the likely absence of David Miller will be a huge blow for the Gujarat Titans. He observed:
"David Miller is also in the ODI team - it is extremely necessary for the Gujarat Titans to play him but he might not be available at the start. The problems increase after that, there are two Test matches - the first one starts on March 31 and the second ends on April 12."
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player added that a plethora of IPL stars will be missing in action if they opt to play the Test series against Bangladesh. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"That means Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram - all of them are part of the IPL but will probably not be available at the start if they choose to play the Test matches."
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are extremely crucial players for the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals respectively. He opined that the two franchises might think about asking the duo to miss the Bangladesh Tests, although it might not be fair.