"I was convinced that CSK would definitely take him" - Aakash Chopra on the steal buys at the IPL 2026 auction

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Ravi Bishnoi's acquisition was the biggest steal deal at the IPL 2026 auction. He highlighted that many teams, including the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), needed spinners, expressing surprise about the five-time champions' unwillingness to spend more to acquire the wrist-spinner.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) acquired Bishnoi for ₹7.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction after a bidding war with CSK and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). The Chennai-based subsequently bought Rahul Chahar for ₹5.20 crore, and had ₹2.40 crore remaining in their kitty at the end of the auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener chose Bishnoi as the biggest underpriced pick at the IPL 2026 auction.

"I have kept Ravi Bishnoi's name at the top. I was convinced that CSK would definitely take him because you didn't have spinners, and who would bowl with Noor Ahmad? Eventually, they took Rahul Chahar, saved some money, and went home," he said. (1:10)

Chopra added that CSK could have acquired Bishnoi, instead of Chahar, had they utilized the money they were left with at the end of the auction.

"If you had spent that money, you would have gotten Ravi Bishnoi. So letting Ravi Bishnoi go for ₹7 crore didn't make sense. It's an incredible steal for me because five or six teams needed spinners. I thought this guy would go for ₹10-12 crores at least," he observed.

Ravi Bishnoi was retained by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹11 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. However, he was released by the franchise ahead of the recent mini auction after a slightly indifferent run in IPL 2025.

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"Mumbai's luck is good" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians acquiring Quinton de Kock for ₹1 crore at the IPL 2026 auction

Quinton de Kock was the Mumbai Indians' first buy at the IPL 2026 auction. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra picked Ben Duckett and Quinton de Kock, who were acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), respectively, among the other steal buys at the IPL 2026 auction.

"The second was Ben Duckett and Quinton de Kock. Quinton de Kock for just ₹1 crore, it doesn't make sense at all if you saw how he batted just now in New Chandigarh, but Mumbai's luck is good. The other is Ben Duckett, once again a top-quality aggressive batter. He has come with a lot of experience. This pitch will suit him, but at ₹2 crore," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that DC were also able to acquire David Miller relatively cheaply.

"Delhi got Miller for ₹2 crore. Many teams needed players at that number. Someone gave ₹13 crore to Liam Livingstone as well. It means SunRisers Hyderabad needed one. CSK gave money to lower-order uncapped players. It means they also needed a lower-order batter. Miller was an absolute steal," Chopra reasoned.

Chopra added that Wanindu Hasaranga was a great value buy for LSG.

"Wanindu Hasaranga, there was a huge issue of supply and demand, many spinners weren't there, but despite that, he was sold at base price. He is not a run-of-the-mill bowler. He has a hat-trick and taken a five-wicket haul in the IPL," he observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra named Jacob Duffy, Anrich Nortje and Matt Henry as the other steals at the IPL 2026 auction. The three seamers were acquired by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the Lucknow Super Giants and the Chennai Super Kings, respectively, for ₹2 crore apiece.