NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has urged that Lucknow Tremendous Giants (LSG) ought to prioritize retaining KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran forward of the IPL 2025 mega public sale.
Talking on his YouTube channel, Chopra emphasised that Rahul, who scored 520 runs in IPL 2024, must be the group’s first selection for retention.
“The primary is KL Rahul since you wish to make him the captain, and he’s the face of the franchise,” Chopra stated.”You will not get him for 18 crores in any case. If KL Rahul goes to the public sale, he’ll take 18 crores for certain, and you do not depart the captain in any case.”
Chopra additionally identified the significance of securing Nicholas Pooran, who LSG acquired for Rs 16 crore over the last public sale. He praised Pooran’s constant performances in T20 cricket and referred to as him a must-retain participant.
“At No. 2, I’d say Nicholas Pooran, who they gave 16 crores final time. The type of performances he has given in T20 cricket—don’t even give it some thought, it’s a must to retain him,” he added.
For the third retention, Chopra leaned towards Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, highlighting his earlier retention and game-changing skills: “The third I’m pondering of is Marcus Stoinis as a result of that they had retained him for 10 crores earlier, and he’s that game-changer type of a participant.”
Chopra additionally talked about Mayank Yadav as a possible uncapped retention, relying on his standing within the upcoming T20I collection in opposition to Bangladesh.
