'What's Wrong With IPL': Aakash Chopra Fumes After New Zealand Star Goes Unsold at Auction

IPL 2026: The mini auction went off smoothly in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. While most felt content with the auction, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra seems to be disappointed. After the auction, he took to his YouTube channel and expressed his opinion about a certain player not being picked. Recalling the century he scored against India, Chopra was baffled why Michael Bracewell of New Zealand did not get a bidder. Chopra said that a number of teams needed an off-spin batter and reckoned Chennai or Lucknow could have shown interest in him. 

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'What's wrong with the IPL'

"I don't know what's wrong with the IPL. There is a player named Michael Bracewell. Don't know why no one rates him. He is a phenomenal player. I still remember the century he scored against India in Hyderabad," Chopra said.

"Plenty of teams needed an off-spinner batter. I felt Chennai would be interested in him. I felt LSG would be interested in him. At least some team should have been interested in him, but no one was interested. Very, very surprising," he added.

Given the conditions at the Chepauk, CSK has traditionally been a team that has depended on spin to win matches and hence Chopra felt surprised. CSK picked Akeal Hossain, Prashant Veer and Rahul Chahar as their spin options. 

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Can CSK go All The Way? 

CSK, with five IPL titles in their cabinet, is one of the most successful IPL franchises in the history of the league and hence expectations are always high from the yellow army. For IPL 2026, CSK have a well-rounded team where most of their bases are covered. The big addition for them is Sanju Samson, whom they traded from the Rajasthan Royals.