"Just the team selection has baffled me more than once with this Rajasthan team" - Aakash Chopra notes Shivam Dube's persistent exclusion as one of the factors behind their struggles 

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has put down the repeated omission of Shivam Dube from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) playing XI as one of the several factors for their inconsistency in IPL 2021. The all-rounder announced his return to the playing XI with a massive half-century against the then league leaders, Chennai Super Kings, to keep RR's IPL playoffs hopes alive.

Shivam Dube was deployed at No.4 for a while in the first leg of the competition but was dropped following a set of failures. The franchise, surprisingly, did not bring him back into the playing XI in the UAE leg despite the middle order's lack of input on a repeated basis.

Aakash Chopra noted that Dube's exclusion meant that Riyan Parag was present all along in the team. The young all-rounder had a patch to forget and was eventually dropped for the team's clash against CSK. While speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Chopra said:

"Well, it was not the only factor for sure. It did play a part though. Shivam Dube sitting out meant that Riyan Parag was playing all this while. Just the team selection has baffled me more than once with this Rajasthan team," Chopra added.

Dube was not given a chance to bowl in the first innings, but was able to contribute with the bat by taking the franchise home in a stellar chase with his maiden fifty in the competition.

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RR should not think about NRR at all: Aakash Chopra

RR's penultimate clashes in the league stage emerge as tricky ones, with a solitary spot in the playoffs still up for grabs. They have a set of virtual knockout games in their hands against the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders to close out the league phase.

Wins in both the games should see the Royals through to the playoffs, with the net run rate (NRR) also posing to play a crucial role in deciding the proceedings. RR currently have a Net Run Rate of -0.337 while MI and KKR have NRRs of -0.453 and +0.294 respectively. Chopra added:

"RR should not think about NRR at all. MI should if they are close to winning," Chopra added.

Carlos Brathwaite, on the contrary, felt that RR should begin to focus on NRR, if they get into a winning position in the fixture. He said:

"I think they should try to get the 2 points first and then once you get into a position where you get those two points, then you try to maximise the NRR."

RR will face the defending IPL champions, Mumbai Indians, later tonight (October 5) in Sharjah in a crucial encounter.