"It's become a broken record" - Aakash Chopra on RR's bowling ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs MI

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will rely on their batters to put up a fight in their IPL 2025 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI). He reasoned that RR's bowling attack has glaring weaknesses, which cannot be addressed.

RR will host MI in Match 50 of IPL 2025 in Jaipur on Thursday, May 1. With six points from 10 games, the inaugural IPL champions are placed eighth on the points table and need to win their remaining four league-phase matches to keep their playoff qualification hopes alive.

Previewing the RR-MI IPL 2025 clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Rana will have to compensate for the Royals' bowling shortcomings.

"Yashasvi Jaiswal will be there with Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Both together did the job in the last match. I remember Yashasvi scored a century against Mumbai once at the Wankhede. So he has that sort of relationship with Mumbai. He comes from Mumbai, but is also now going to play Ranji Trophy for Goa. Of course, this is not the Ranji Trophy, but he is now going to play against Mumbai," Chopra said (14:30).

"It will also be worth watching whether Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Rana can together score enough runs from where they can fight because, in bowling, it's become a broken record. Whenever we talk about Rajasthan, we definitely say that their bowling does not have that much might. There are obvious weaknesses, but there is no way to address them.," he added.

All the frontline RR bowlers have an economy rate of more than nine in IPL 2025. Wanindu Hasaranga and Jofra Archer, who have picked up 10 wickets apiece, have been their most successful bowlers this season.

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"The B&B connection will be seen against that storm" - Aakash Chopra on Vaibhav Suryavanshi ahead of RR's IPL 2025 clash vs MI

Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored a 35-ball century in RR's IPL 2025 clash against GT. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra picked Vaibhav Suryavanshi's battle against the Mumbai Indians seamers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, as the most riveting contest in Thursday's game.

"The biggest story is that a storm named Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come. The B&B connection will be seen against that storm. Bumrah will be there from one end, and then Boult and Deepak Chahar will also be there. The next level of difficulty will be seen," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the MI bowlers would have their game plans against the 14-year-old youngster.

"He destroyed a good bowling attack, but you go a step further next. Now the teams have also seen him. Now they know where he hits. So he will be tested differently. Bouncers and yorkers will be bowled, and they will also bowl wide lines and wide yorkers against him. So I am extremely eager to see how Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays against Mumbai," Chopra observed.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed 101 runs off 38 deliveries in the Rajasthan Royals' eight-wicket win against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur on April 28. He reached his century off just 35 balls, breaking Yusuf Pathan's record of the fastest hundred by an Indian in the Indian Premier League's 18-year history.