'He was worth keeping' - Aakash Chopra questions RCB for releasing South African star ahead of IPL 2026

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has questioned Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for releasing South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This comes after the 30-year-old picked up three wickets for his new side, Delhi Capitals (DC), during their win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Wednesday, April 1. 

Ngidi bowled an excellent opening spell with the new ball, with the wicket of Nicholas Pooran being the icing on the cake. The right-arm seamer bowled a brilliant slower yorker that completely bamboozled the West Indies batter to hit his stumps. 

Chopra heaped praise on the impact Ngidi had, along with his fast-bowling partner T. Natarajan. The South African has come into the 2026 IPL season on the back of some great form, which includes taking 12 wickets in the T20 World Cup at an economy of 7.19.

"T Natarajan, who was injured last season and didn't play for a long time, bowled well this time. He picked up three wickets, and Lungi Ngidi has been absolutely awesome. If we see the last 17 or 18 months, it seems like he is one of the most improved bowlers, from both the execution and skills point of view," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. 

Ngidi formed part of RCB’s title-winning squad in 2025 but played just two games. He was let go by the franchise ahead of the mini auction despite costing them just INR 1 crore. 

RCB’s loss was DC’s gain, who snapped him up for his base price of INR 2 crore. 

"RCB might be thinking that he was with them for INR 1 crore, and why they let him go. Of course, they didn't know about Josh Hazlewood's injury at that time, but he was worth keeping. They must be feeling the pinch a little bit. RCB's loss is Delhi's gain. Lungi Ngidi was brilliant," he added.

Despite currently missing Josh Hazlewood and no longer having Ngidi in their ranks, RCB seem to have found an adequate replacement in New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy. Another base price purchase at INR 2 crore, the 31-year-old took three wickets on his debut for the defending champions during their victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on the opening night.