Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should release Anrich Nortje prior to the IPL 2026 auction. He also stated that the South African seamer has been suffering from injuries frequently and has played very little cricket in the last few years as well. However, KKR finished eighth in IPL 2025, and Nortje was one of KKR’s big acquisitions at the IPL 2025 auction, but played only two games as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “The biggest release point will be Venkatesh Iyer. The big story is that they gave more than ₹23 crore, and in the end, it seemed like too much money had been spent. If they release Venkatesh Iyer, straightaway ₹23.75 crore will get released, you will get around ₹5 crore more, and you will be in a very good space. However, KKR shouldn’t stop there. If you release Anrich Nortje, he is worth ₹6.50 crore. I am saying he should be released because Anrich Nortje has been a gun bowler, but when does he play? You won’t remember when was the last time you saw Anrich Nortje playing. There are too many injuries. It’s been ages since he has played.”

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However, Aakash Chopra stated that the Kolkata Knight Riders might consider releasing Spencer Johnson as well.

“You might wish to release Spencer Johnson as well. He came for ₹2.80 crore. You thought he could be a replacement for Mitchell Starc, but it didn’t work out for Spencer Johnson. He didn’t do anything special in the matches he played, and he didn’t get too many chances to play as well. The big question was Ajinkya Rahane. Will you retain him or let him go? Tough one. He is actually a good captain, but if he is not opening, a place doesn’t get created in the XI. If you keep him with you this year as well, you should make him the captain, but if you do that, will you actually do the right thing?” Aakash Chopra concluded.