Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes that the IPL franchises will not forget the way England players pulled out from the second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE. Notably, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and Chris Woakes have recently withdrawn from the rest of the IPL 2021.
However, the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Punjab Kings have already signed replacements for Bairstow and Malan respectively, the Delhi Capitals franchise has also named the replacement for Woakes as well. While speaking about this in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opened up on that matter.
He elaborated: “Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes – they were already not coming. But now Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow have also taken their name back. That means half a dozen English players will not be part of the IPL. It has been a mass exodus. The IPL family doesn’t forget.”
Aakash Chopra again said: “The English players will have to keep this thing slightly in mind that when you pull out your name from an IPL season, the franchise that has bought you feels cheated, they feel you have been betrayed by them.”
However, the franchises have already named replacements but that would hurt them in the upcoming games as well. While admitting that the pandemic has taken a mental toll on them, Aakash Chopra also stated that their strategies might not work due to their sudden withdrawal as well.
He explained: “Of course, these are tough times. We do understand all of that but it remains in the mind that I had gone with you and had created my strategy after a lot of thinking, you were an important cog of my wheel, but the cog has left.”
“This means when the auction happens the next time, they have an elephant’s memory, they will definitely not forget who all had come and who all left. And because of this when they say that Mitchell Starc will be paid a lot, it is possible he may not get it because when you take back your name twice it remains in the mind of all teams,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
