"Get him to bat now" - Aakash Chopra picks Rinku Singh among KKR players in focus in IPL 2024 clash vs MI

Aakash Chopra has urged the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to give Rinku Singh an extended hit in the middle in their IPL 2024 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mumbai on Friday, May 3.

With 12 points from nine games, KKR are placed second on the points table. A win against MI will help them go two points ahead of the third and fourth-placed teams and improve their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Rinku among the KKR players in focus in Friday's game and expressed hope of him getting to bat after being ignored for India's main T20 World Cup squad.

"Rinku Singh - get him to bat now. The poor guy didn't even get selected for the World Cup, although I heard that (Shahrukh) Khan sahab personally got his visa done so that he can go with the team as a traveling reserve. Rinku scoring runs is good for all of us," he said (11:40).

The former India opener chose Phil Salt as another KKR player to watch out for against MI.

"Phil Salt is playing extremely well at the start. So Phil Salt one more time because he is batting like that. He has been absolutely stellar. He keeps and bats, and he takes the attack to the opposition. If you have to see Mumbai's weakness, their bowling is a decent weakness. They get hit a lot in the first six overs," Chopra reasoned (11:15).

Rinku has scored 123 runs off the 82 balls he has faced across eight innings in IPL 2024. On the flip side, Salt has faced 217 deliveries, the most by any KKR batter, and has smashed 392 runs at a strike rate of 180.64 in nine innings.

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"I am thinking about Shreyas Iyer this time" - Aakash Chopra on the other KKR player to watch out for

Shreyas Iyer is KKR's third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra reckons Shreyas Iyer might want to prove a point at the Wankhede Stadium, a venue where he enjoyed great success in last year's ODI World Cup.

"I am not going towards Sunil Narine this time. I am thinking about Shreyas Iyer this time because the last time he played here, that was the semi-final match of the World Cup, New Zealand was in front of him, and he scored an excellent century," he observed (10:50).

"His name has also not come for the World Cup. He will be fired up as his name is not being discussed at all. He is this team's captain and is playing the anchor role thus far. If wickets fall at the start, I would expect him to bat longer, deeper and faster," Chopra added.

Shreyas has aggregated 251 runs at a strike rate of 137.15 in nine innings in IPL 2024. Only Phil Salt and Sunil Narine (372) have scored more runs for the Kolkata-based franchise this season.