Aakash Chopra has made a massive claim as the IPL 2026 auction draws closer. With rumours floating around the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wanting to trade in KL Rahul from the Delhi Capitals (DC), the former India opener believes the only way would be letting Rinku Singh go the other way.

Rahul, who began his IPL career with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), could play for his sixth franchise. Should the keeper-batter join KKR, he is likely to succeed Ajinkya Rahane as captain. Rahul played for DC in IPL 2025 and scored 539 runs in 13 games at 53.90.

Speaking in the latest video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra claimed that he strongly believes the deal between KKR and Rahul will not go through, elaborating:

“Delhi could release Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis, so they may have ₹11 crore with them. KKR are reportedly mulling KL Rahul. The only way I see that trade happening that KKR may let go of Rinku Singh. Delhi might accept that deal but I don’t think they will agree for any other player, so Delhi will want to keep KL Rahul. Rinku will be massive for Delhi but it looks like a difficult deal to execute. If they are thinking to trade Venkatesh Iyer for KL Rahul, that’s not going to happen. KKR may want a keeper-batter and an Indian captain but KL Rahul cannot be your guy if you can’t let go of Rinku Singh.”

Rinku had his breakthrough season in IPL 2023 when he hammered five sixes off the last five deliveries of the innings to score the required 28 runs to beat the Gujarat Titans. The left-hander finished the season with 474 runs in 14 matches at 59.25.

“Rajasthan have a handul of players to let go of” – Aakash Chopra ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Speaking about the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Aakash Chopra said they should release quite a few players but called for them to persist with Shimron Hetmyer despite the West Indian batter’s inconsistency. He reckons the auction is unlikely to feature many lower-order hitters.

“Talking about Rajasthan Royals, they have been boosted by Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. It’s a phenomenal trade and it will hugely benefit them. I don’t see Ravindra Jadeja as captain as there are rumours about it. Reports are also about Nitish Rana moving to KKR and Angkrish Raghuvanshi could come to Rajasthan Royals. I don’t see that happening. I’ll be surprised if it happens. But Rajasthan have a handul of players to let go of too. Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka could be released. They should retain Wanindu Hasaranga.”

“I don’t think they should release Shimron Hetmyer. We are hearing about David Miller coming into the auction but there are chances other teams can shell more money on him. Liam Livingstone might not be a good option as a lower-order hitter is required. Hetmyer struck sixes at will in MLC, he is actually a good cricketer. I don’t feel they will invest in Glenn Maxwell. So, if they don’t have a lot of lower-order hitters, Royals should keep Hetmyer. Hetmyer is expensive but Sanju Samson is no longer there. Curran is there as an all-rounder, so maybe they can stick to Hetmyer. I don’t expect him to be released.”

Reacting to potential trades of Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar, the 48-year-old warned franchises that Indian pacers also may not be in abundance in the IPL 2026 auction.

“I’m also hearing CSK is interested in Tushar Deshpande. They bought him worth 6.5 crore, so if they release him, who do they get? Also, if Mumbai release Deepak Chahar, who they bring in? There will not be a lot of Indian pacers in the auction. If there aren’t many options, the ball-game of supply-demand is huge in a mini auction. Hence, it’s best to stick to players you have, whether it be Tushar Deshpande or Deepak Chahar.”

The IPL 2026 auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16.