"Russell, Rinku and Ramandeep haven't played a single good innings thus far" - Aakash Chopra on KKR ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs GT

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) batting as their concern heading into their IPL 2025 clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT). He pointed out their acclaimed middle-order trio of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh are yet to fire in the tournament.

KKR will host GT in Match 39 of IPL 2025 in Kolkata on Monday, April 21. With six points from seven games, the defending champions are placed seventh in the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that the famed KKR batting lineup has been a letdown in IPL 2025, with only Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi performing consistently, and their lower-middle order yet to make a significant contribution.

"KKR got all out for 95 in the last match. You got all out for 115-odd even in Mumbai. The batting has depth, but it has become a concern because very few people are pulling their weight in the side. Rahane and Raghuvanshi are playing well," Chopra said (11:15).

"Apart from them, everyone is mercurial. Venkatesh Iyer has played one good inning. Quinton de Kock has played one good inning. Sunil Narine has played an odd good innings. Russell, Rinku and Ramandeep haven't played a single good innings thus far. That is your problem," he added.

Aakash Chopra opined that KKR need to figure out their batting and its order. He added that sometimes the batters don't take enough responsibility when the batting has a lot of depth.

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"The top 3 together do a good job" - Aakash Chopra on GT ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs KKR

The Gujarat Titans are perched atop the IPL 2025 points table. [P/C: Getty]

Turning his attention to the Gujarat Titans, Aakash Chopra noted they will once again rely on Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler in the batting department.

"It's not understandable, but Gujarat are playing well. The top three together do a good job. That is a wonderful story. They will be dependent on them here also. Sherfane Rutherford played well in the last match for sure, that's a good addition," he said (12:25) in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Gill's reluctance to use Sai Kishore against left-handed batters and Rashid Khan's indifferent form are the concerns for GT in the bowling department.

"Prasidh Krishna is bowling very well, but Arshad Khan and Ishant Sharma, and will you not make Sai Kishore bowl if a left-hander comes? So there are a few question marks, and Rashid Khan's form is absolutely gone. Now, he is even dropping catches, which he didn't use to do earlier," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra noted that the Gujarat Titans are punching above their weight and are not even playing four overseas players. To conclude, he picked the Kolkata Knight Riders as the slight favorites heading into Monday's game.