"The way they bid, it seemed they will take everyone" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' approach at the IPL 2023 auction

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) almost wrecked their IPL 2023 auction by trying to acquire one player with their entire remaining purse.

The Royals went into the mini-auction in Kochi on Friday, December 23, with a remaining purse of ₹13.2 crore. They acquired nine players, with Jason Holder at ₹5.75 crore being their most expensive buy.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was perplexed by the Rajasthan Royals' initial approach at the auction, explaining:

"The way they (RR) bid, it seemed they will take everyone. They didn't have money. They had 13.2 crores in their kitty and had bid that entire amount on Harry Brook. Then they went after Nicholas Pooran also."

The former Indian batter pointed out that Sanju Samson's side, despite their best efforts, were never going to acquire Harry Brook at the auction by outbidding the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), elaborating:

"They went after Harry Brook, almost saying that they want him in any case. Harry Brook was the first name and they said you can end their auction there itself, you can give him to them and they are very happy to go home. But whichever thing Hyderabad laid their hands on in this auction, it was going to be theirs."

The Rajasthan Royals were fortunate that SRH, who had a remaining purse of ₹42.25 crore, were equally hell-bent on acquiring Brook. The inaugural IPL champions would have been left with just ₹20 lakh if the Hyderabad-based franchise had not placed a final bid of ₹13.25 crore for the England big-hitter.

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"They will do alright" - Aakash Chopra on the Rajasthan Royals finally acquiring Jason Holder

Chopra added that while the Rajasthan Royals also failed to acquire Nicholas Pooran, they should be happy about getting Holder, observing:

"They wanted Nicholas Pooran as well. They didn't get him also. Now they will have to manage with Jason Holder. I don't think Jason Holder is a bad player because big ground - Sawai Mansingh Stadium - they will do alright."

The renowned commentator reckons the Royals' acquisition of the West Indian all-rounder makes them more formidable than the last edition of the tournament, reasoning:

"The squad is looking good. The Rajasthan Royals were decent last year and are decent this year as well. They have made good additions and they look an even stronger side compared to what they were last year. Their balance becomes better because of Holder coming in."

The Royals promoted Ravichandran Ashwin in the batting in IPL 2022 at times to have a little more explosive depth down the order. Holder's addition will give them a quality all-rounder, an area they were found wanting last season.