"They should have planned it better" - Wasim Akram slams RCB team management for parting ways with Yuzvendra Chahal [SK Match ki Baat Exclusive]
Former Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram believes that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) missed a trick by letting go of ace spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg spinner was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 auction.
Akram opined that a team cannot afford to release their premier bowler in a tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also responded to former RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson saying that the franchise wanted to buy Chahal at the auction, but couldn't do so as they didn't have enough funds when the spinner's name surfaced.
The ex-Pakistan captain suggested that RCB should have gone with a better plan. Slamming the team management for the blunder, here's what Akram said on Sportskeeda's Match ki Baat:
"How did RCB let Yuzvendra Chahal go? I read the clarification given by their coach about them not having enough money to go after Chahal at the auction. But they should have planned it better. You cannot let your wicket-taking bowler go and think that you'll pick him again in the auction. A very bad decision by the RCB think tank."
Yuzvendra Chahal was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for ₹6.50 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. The 33-year-old has 201 IPL wickets to his name, the most by any bowler in the league's history.
"It could very well be a fairytale ending for him" - Wasim Akram on MS Dhoni
Wasim Akram also spoke about MS Dhoni's IPL 2024 stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which could potentially be the seasoned campaigner's swansong tour.
The cricketer-turned-commented mentioned that while he wants the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win, he would still be happy if Dhoni gets a fairytale ending with CSK clinching their sixth IPL trophy.
Akram added:
"Luck favours the brave. The kind of luck and fortune that he has had, it could very well be a fairytale ending for him. It will be great for Indian cricket and the IPL if it happens. However, things don't happen this way sometimes. I want this to happen, but I also want KKR to win as well. But if CSK win, I will still be happy for MS Dhoni. He deserves it."
It is worth mentioning that Wasim Akram was part of the KKR team management in the past. He was the side's bowling coach in their title-winning campaigns in 2012 and 2014.