IPL 2024: "10-Crores Investment And He Was Carrying Drinks" - Aakash Chopra Feels Kolkata Knight Riders Didn't Utilize Lockie Ferguson Well In IPL 2023

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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) didn’t use New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson effectively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023. Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Knight Riders spent a huge amount on acquiring Lockie Ferguson.

The Kolkata franchise traded Lockie Ferguson from the Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 10 crore ahead of last year’s mini-auction. The right-arm pacer wasn’t included in the starting XI for the first few matches. He picked up one wicket in three matches with an average of 96 and an economy rate of 12.52.

I Feel You Didn’t Utilize Him Well – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the Kolkata Knight Riders started with Tim Southee ahead of Ferguson.

“When I think about Lockie Ferguson, I feel you didn’t utilize him well. Did you? You didn’t because you invested 10 crores in him,” Aakash Chopra said.

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“You started with Tim Southee first, then you played Lockie Ferguson for two or three matches and after that, you didn’t play him at all. 10-crores investment and he was carrying drinks,” he added.

Didn’t Realize That You Have No One At The Top – Aakash Chopra

The reputed commentator believes that the Nitish Rana-led team picked two overseas batters due to the lack of quality Indian top-price batters.

“When you saw your team, you didn’t realize that you have no one at the top. So you will have to play Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy, or else you will play Litton Das. If Shakib Al Hasan was there, you would have played him as well,” he further added.

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Never Dropped Andre Russell And Sunil Narine – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the franchise backed Andre Russell and Sunil Narine even when they failed to deliver for the team.

“This is your top order and you have never dropped Andre Russell and Sunil Narine until today. So if this is your batting lineup and bowling, what was the gain in spending 10 crores on Lockie Ferguson? The player is very good but it doesn’t matter if you don’t play him,” he continued.

The two-tier IPL champions failed to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament as they finished in seventh place in the 10-team table. The Kolkata team managed to win six matches out of 14 in the league stage.

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