Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra delivered a brutal verdict on Lucknow Super Giants star Arshin Kulkarni after his slow knock against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 on Thursday. Kulkarni scored 17 off 24 balls, and although Mitchell Marsh was at his aggressive best at the other end-even going on to slam a fiery century-the youngster’s knock did not earn him much praise. Chopra explained that Kulkarni played the equivalent of four overs but scored just 17 runs. He added that in such cases, retiring a batter out should not be a ‘taboo’ in order to help a team’s cause.
“Arshin Kulkarni made 17 runs in 24 balls, which is basically four overs,” Chopra said on YouTube.
“Retiring a batter out shouldn’t be taboo anymore. Just as when a bowler is removed from the rotation during a bad spell, the same should be extended to a batter who isn’t able to connect despite genuine attempts. The overs are limited and the sides need to make the most of them, and I think LSG missed a trick there,” he added.
Choprahailed the explosive batting of Mitchell Marsh after his match-winning century that helped Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeat defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by nine runs in a high-scoring IPL clash.
Marsh played a dominant knock at the top of the order, smashing 111 off 56 deliveries to power LSG to 209/3, setting up a strong total in the rain-shortened encounter. The right-handed batter was named Player of the Match for his superb innings.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Chopra highlighted Marsh’s consistency at the top and his ability to dominate pace attacks with clean hitting. “Marsh is the only batter in this entire LSG setup who has batted at the same position throughout the tournament. Everybody else has been moved around,” JioStar expert Chopra said.
He further praised the Australian star’s power-hitting, noting his ability to take on fast bowlers and dominate both sides of the wicket.
“He’s got the strength. He’s a very different kind of opener. He’s tall and has long levers and, therefore, goes downtown. The moment you start hitting fast bowlers over their heads and into the stands, where do you actually bowl to him?” he added.
(With ANI inputs)
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