Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra was sharply critical of Lucknow Super Giants’ Arshin Kulkarni after the youngster’s slow return against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 on Thursday. Kulkarni managed 17 runs from 24 balls, and despite Mitchell Marsh’s blistering form at the other end—where he went on to smash a match-winning century—Chopra felt the innings offered little value for the side. He argued that Kulkarni effectively batted like a four-over spell but produced only 17 runs, which is far from enough in a T20 chase-or-sets setting.
Chopra made the case that teams should not treat “retiring” a batter as a taboo move when they are failing to get going, especially if the batter has genuinely tried to score. In his view, the same logic used to remove a bowler from the attack after a poor spell should also apply to a batter who cannot find momentum. Chopra stressed that with overs being limited, franchises must squeeze maximum productivity out of the time they have.
“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.
Chopra, however, saved his biggest praise for Mitchell Marsh after the Australian’s century, which ultimately helped Lucknow Super Giants beat defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru by nine runs in a high-scoring contest. Marsh delivered a dominant top-order display, striking 111 off 56 balls to take LSG to 209/3 in the rain-affected match, setting up a total that proved just out of reach for RCB.
Marsh was named Player of the Match for his commanding innings, and Chopra highlighted the batter’s tournament consistency and his ability to take control of pace bowling. Speaking on JioHotstar, the former opener pointed out Marsh’s stable role in the batting order across the campaign, contrasting that with the changes seen around him.
“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,” Chopra said on the show. He also lauded Marsh’s power-hitting, emphasizing that the opener can attack fast bowlers decisively while remaining effective on 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?” Chopra added.
