Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has added that the Gujarat Titans (GT) potentially took the right call in letting go of Sherfane Rutherford before the IPL 2026 auction as well. He stated that the No. 4 batting position can now be given to Washington Sundar as well. However, GT traded Rutherford to the Mumbai Indians (MI) for his existing price of ₹2.60 crore as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Gujarat let Sherfane Rutherford go. You and I wondered as to what they are doing. It was their second trade with Mumbai (with Hardik Pandya being the first). You ask why they are doing so. They realized that they already have Glenn Phillips, who is better than Sherfane, as the latter has problems against wide yorkers. So there are known problems there, and they wanted to keep a bigger role for Washington Sundar. I am convinced that Washington Sundar will also get to bat higher. He will bat up the order wherever he goes. Keep the No. 4 position for him. He will consistently bat there. He might even come at No. 3 at times. A left-hander might come if a left-hander gets out.”
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However, Aakash Chopra shared that the Gujarat Titans were right in retaining Kagiso Rabada, stating that they might not have been able to reacquire the South African pacer for a lower price at the auction as well.
“Apart from that, they have released Gerald Coetzee. There were discussions about whether Kagiso Rabada would be released. If Kagiso Rabada had gone into the auction, KKR might have taken him, as they have money. If you have someone for ₹10.75 crore, you might have had to spend more to reacquire him, or might not have been able to buy him at all. It wouldn’t have been a great strategy. They do have the money, but they don’t have to shop much. They released Karim Janat, who needed to be let go. They do have the money to buy a few players, but I am not expecting radical changes. I don’t see them going into a mad buying spree. Their team is already ready,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
