"I doubt Rajasthan Royals will look towards Glenn Maxwell" - Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) would be looking for overseas batsmen at the IPL 2021 auction but Glenn Maxwell is unlikely to be one of them.

The Rajasthan Royals have released their last season's skipper Steve Smith as part of their retention exercise.

They have also appointed Sanju Samson as their new captain for IPL 2021.

#SkipperSanju = Ready. To. Lead. 🔥#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/rbgQwq0ffN

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 24, 2021

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra shared his views about the batsmen the Rajasthan Royals could target at the upcoming auction.

The renowned commentator started by observing that the Rajasthan Royals will be required to acquire an overseas batsman.

Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and David Miller are the foreign batsmen in the inaugural IPL champion's squad currently.

"They need overseas batsmen because they have Buttler, Stokes and Miller. They have three but quite a few times they might have to play all three because they don't have Smith. So, they would need at least one batsman as backup and you might want to play someone ahead of Miller," said Aakash Chopra.

Although the Rajasthan Royals have Miller, Aakash Chopra feels the franchise needs a more reliable overseas batsman at the No.5 spot.

"If I make their team, they have Yashasvi Jaiswal and Buttler as openers, Samson at No.3, Stokes at No.4, Riyan Parag/Manan Vohra at No.6. So, I need an overseas player at No.5. Tewatia comes at No.7 and then it looks alright," observed Chopra.

The former Indian opener reckons the Rajasthan Royals are unlikely to bid for Glenn Maxwell even though they need a middle-order batsman.

"So their batting will remain a little overseas dominated. I doubt they will look towards Glenn Maxwell. This is not the team who will look towards Maxwell," added Chopra.

---

"The Rajasthan Royals should have kept Ajinkya Rahane" - Aakash Chopra

Ajinkya Rahane had moved from the Rajasthan Royals to the Delhi Capitals before IPL 2020

Aakash Chopra pointed out the Rajasthan Royals would surely not try to bring back Steve Smith.

The 43-year old suggested Dawid Malan, Jason Roy and Aaron Finch as some of the overseas batsmen the Jaipur-based franchise could bid for.

"It is also certain that they will not take Smith back because why would you leave him otherwise. They could go for Dawid Malan, left-handed top-order batsman. They could look towards Roy or Finch. So, they might want to take one out of these three," said Chopra.

The former KKR player feels Rajasthan Royals might be regretting their decision to let Ajinkya Rahane move to the Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2020.

Click here to see KKR's retained player list 2021.

"They need Indian batsmen in my opinion because they don't want to play three overseas batsmen, which is not ideal any which way. I don't know who that guy is, could be Gurkeerat Mann. Why did you let Rahane go? You should have kept him, he would been of use to you now," concluded Aakash Chopra.

Apart from releasing Ajinkya Rahane earlier, the Rajasthan Royals have also let Robin Uthappa go to the Chennai Super Kings before the IPL 2021 auction.

Although the swashbuckling batsman did not have a great IPL 2020, he had got better as the tournament progressed and could have lent the much-needed experience to their otherwise young Indian batting lineup.

The perfect family man who fit right in. 💗A look back at some wonderful moments with @robbieuthappa. 🤝#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/rU1bgUdTxp

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 22, 2021