Ahead of the auction for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), all the eight franchises have released the list of the players who have been released and retained by them. There were some surprising decisions from the franchises as the release of big names like Steve Smith, Chris Morris, Aaron Finch among others raised a number of eyebrows.

Rajasthan Royals releasing Smith was definitely the biggest surprise. After releasing the Australian, the franchise appointed Sanju Samson as their captain for the upcoming season. Things, however, could have been very different for Samson as well as Royals. According to former India opener Aakash Chopra, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) tried to lure Samson, looking to trade him off from the Royals ahead of the announcement.

Royals would have thought to increase Sanju Samson’s stature in the team- Chopra

While making the revelation, Aakash Chopra opined that the move from CSK and RCB might have prompted the Royals to elevate Samson to such an important position. The former-turned-commentator also backed Royals’ decision to release Smith, saying that the Australia star was not worth Rs 12.5 crore. Chopra also said that franchises are unlikely to register such a big bid for Smith in the upcoming auction.

“I have come to know that there were 2 teams who were trying to poach Sanju Samson, trying to lure him. One was Royal Challengers Bangalore and the other was Chennai Super Kings. After being approached by these two franchises, even the Royals would have thought to not only retain Samson but also increase his stature in the team,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports.

“I don’t like the idea of an overseas captain. When you go with an overseas captain, he is 25% of your resource from the overseas lot. I think it’s a good move to release Steve Smith. I don’t think he is worth Rs 12.5 crore. I would be very surprised if someone bids this much for him,” added Aakash Chopra.

The Royals would be hoping that their fortunes change with Samson’s appointment. The Rajasthan-based franchise has not won the title since the inaugural season in 2008. Samson is the third Indian after Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane to be named as Royals’ captain. The right-handed batsman had finished IPL 2020 as the side’s highest run-getter season, making 375 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 158.