Aakash Chopra advice to struggling Rajasthan Royals

Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra advised struggling Rajasthan Royals to stick to flat surfaces and back the batters to win matches. This came after season one champion, Rajasthan lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening two games.
“Saying it again—play on flat pitches and back your batters to win it,” Chopra posted on X. In Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Rana, Rajasthan have gone with an Indian core at the top, with Shimron Hetmyer being the only recognisable hitter in the mix.
The foreign bowling trio of Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have also been ordinary until now for RR, resulting in Rajasthan’s struggling with both bat and ball in the first two matches. Hyderabad scored 286, the second-highest total in IPL hory against the Men In Pink, while they could only manage 151 against KKR batting first.

Jofra has conceded over a hundred runs in 7 overs without taking a single wicket. There are two options— Fazalhaq and Maphaka. But don’t know if that’ll make a significant difference to their bowling resources. Saying it again—play on flat pitches and back your batters to win…
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 30, 2025
Their marquee signing, Archer, especially has been taken to the cleaners batters; and his 4-0-76-0 against SRH was also the most expensive spell any bowler in IPL hory. Chopra remarked that the Englishmen’s replacements, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka, could hardly make any difference. “Jofra has conceded over a hundred runs in 7 overs without taking a single wicket. There are two options— Fazalhaq and Maphaka. But don’t know if that’ll make a significant difference to their bowling resources,” Chopra added.
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“And Hetmyer can’t possibly bat at 8 ever again,” said Chopra after Hetmyer was demoted to No. 8 against Kolkata, his lowest batting position in T20 cricket.
Rajasthan host Chennai Super Kings for their last match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Sanju Samson, who is recovering from a finger injury and playing as an Impact Sub, is likely to be fully fit after his game. This also means that Samson can take over the captaincy duties from Riyan Parag, who was leading RR in his stead in front of his home crowd.