3 min readMar 21, 2026 01:16 PM IST
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has slammed Lockie Ferguson after the New Zealand pacer said he won’t take part in the initial phase of the Indian Premier League 2026, opting to spend more time with his family and newborn baby. Punjab Kings had retained Ferguson at his base price for INR 2 crore.
While Chopra said there’s nothing wrong with giving priority to family and spending time with them, once a commitment is made by someone, it’s not right to just break it.
“I’m thinking about Lockie Ferguson. Actually, that’s a serious one. Is he injured… I don’t know, is he injured or not? What I read is, he’s not available for seven matches. He said, ‘I want to spend some time with family.’ He was picked at base price, right? Bought for 2 crores. He’s playing for his team, playing for New Zealand, then he’ll take a break. He’ll go home and spend time with family. It’s not a bad thing. Again, don’t judge anyone. You should never judge anyone. I love spending time with my family. If someone tells me to take a holiday, I say, I’ll take it, I’m going to sit at home. I love my family. Whether it’s kids, parents, wife… spending time with everyone. I love doing that. But if you’ve made a commitment and you’re leaving seven matches just for that in the IPL, then teams will have to realise that this isn’t right,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
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“Because you’ll come after seven matches, take 1 crore on a pro-rata basis, and leave. What’s the point? Your team’s season might already be ruined by then,” he added.
‘Hard part is deciding when to take rest’
Ferguson, who has no injury concerns, welcomed a baby with his partner. He said he will spend time at home before linking up with the Punjab Kings squad in the “later stages” of the tournament.
“Just had a son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out. I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter,” Ferguson said ahead of the third T20I against South Africa.
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“Really looking forward to some time at home and then back into some cricket after that. Sometimes the hard part is deciding when to take a rest. This feels like the right time, especially since my wife was looking after the baby while I was at the World Cup,” he added.
Ferguson took part for New Zealand in the first three T20Is against South Africa at home before heading home.
