"He will not be seen in Kohli's photos now" - Aakash Chopra's hilarious comment on batter released by RCB ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra made a hilarious comment on batter Swastik Chikara after he was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The defending champions released seven players in all.

Swastik Chikara was acquired for ₹30 Lakh but did not get a single game in the last season. A big Virat Kohli fan himself, Chikara was seen being around the RCB star throughout the season. Aakash Chopra cheekily commented that he would no longer be seen in Kohli's photos.

Regarding their retentions and releases, Chopra stated that RCB did not have much to do and would not want to make many changes to a winning squad.

"RCB have released Swastik Chikara so he will not be seen in Kohli's photos now. They do not need too many players. The team has won. Who would change a team that has won?," he said on his YouTube channel.

RCB beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the IPL 2025 final. They won their maiden IPL trophy, ending a 17-year wait for the title. The defending champions have retained 17 players and will head into the auction with a purse of ₹16.40 crore.

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"They are a sorted side" - Aakash Chopra on five-time champions ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Aakash Chopra also spoke about the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the same video ahead of the 2026 auction. MI released nine players, none of whom were regulars in the playing 11 last season.

The former batter reckoned that they were sorted and had their side ready for the next season. MI traded in West Indian hard-hitter Sherfane Rutherford from the Gujarat Titans (GT), adding to their batting strength.

"MI have their team ready already. They are a gun team. There was no need to make any change there. They now have a finisher in Rutherford as well. They are a sorted side. Their talent scouts will bring some new uncapped player as they don't have much to do," he said.

Their releases included Arjun Tendulkar (traded), Bevon Jacobs, Karn Sharma, Lizaad Williams, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Satyanarayana Raju, and Vignesh Puthur. MI qualifiedAka for the playoffs last year but ended up losing to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the second qualifier.

Edited by Rishab Vm