Aakash Chopra has questioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to drop Finn Allen earlier in IPL 2026 after the explosive New Zealand opener produced a match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens on Saturday. Allen’s sensational innings played a massive role in KKR’s crucial 29-run victory and reignited the debate around the franchise’s team selection strategy this season.
Batting first after being put in by Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, KKR piled up a huge 247/2 on the board. Finn Allen led the charge with a breathtaking 93 off just 35 balls, smashing the GT bowling attack all around the park. Angkrish Raghuvanshi added an unbeaten 82 off 44 deliveries, while Cameron Green chipped in with a quickfire fifty to help Kolkata post one of the highest totals of IPL 2026.
Despite strong half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan, Gill, and Jos Buttler, the Gujarat Titans eventually fell short at 218/4. Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Chopra criticised KKR’s management for dropping Allen after only a few failures earlier in the season. The former India opener pointed out that other underperforming players, particularly Ajinkya Rahane, continued to receive extended opportunities despite inconsistent returns.
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“Finn Allen deserves a lot of praise, but KKR also need to ask themselves why they dropped him so quickly. He already had a century to his name and now he has delivered another match-winning innings. Different rules seem to apply to different players,” Aakash Chopra said.
Allen had featured in KKR’s first five games before being replaced by Tim Seifert following a lean patch. However, Seifert also struggled, forcing KKR to bring Allen back into the playing XI. Since his return, the Kiwi batter has rediscovered top form and has looked among the most dangerous powerplay batters in the tournament.
Chopra also questioned KKR’s continued backing of Rahane, who has managed only 251 runs in 12 innings this season. Rahane once again failed to make a major impact against Gujarat, scoring a run-a-ball 14 while Allen dominated from the other end. The former India batter also praised Angkrish Raghuvanshi for another mature innings but warned against altering his natural game too much in pursuit of a higher strike rate. Chopra believes the youngster possesses the temperament and technique ideally suited for ODI and Test cricket.
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“Angkrish plays proper cricket. His foundation is extremely strong, and I hope he doesn’t lose that while trying to find extra gears in T20 cricket,” Aakash Chopra added. Raghuvanshi is currently KKR’s leading run-scorer in IPL 2026 and continues to establish himself as one of the franchise’s brightest young stars.
