‘Franchise that has bought you feels cheated’ – Aakash Chopra hits out at England players for their ‘mass exodus’ ahead of IPL 2021

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckoned that the England cricketers, who pulled out of the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021, could find themselves in troubles going into the upcoming editions. Even as Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes pulled out due to injury concerns and mental health well-being respectively, Buttler pulled out because of ‘personal reasons’.

On Saturday, it was learned that Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Dawid Malan won’t be taking part in the tournament either. Chopra reckoned that the IPL fraternity won’t easily forget the steps taken by the Three Lions’ cricketers. The veteran said that in a way, the franchises could feel cheated and betrayed after their withdrawal.

The IPL family doesn’t forget, says Aakash Chopra

“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,” Chopra was quoted as saying on his official YouTube channel.

“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,” he stated.

Chopra, who played IPL cricket for the Kolkata Knight Riders, said that the English players’ withdrawal is likely to disturb the balance of a number of IPL teams.

“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,” Chopra added.

In the meantime, South Africa’s Aiden Markram has replaced Malan in the Punjab Kings while the Sunrisers Hyderabad have roped in West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford as a replacement for Bairstow.

The Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, have drafted in West Indies’ Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas, New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips and South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi to fill in the voids left by the England cricketers.

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