"They have decided that they will play cricket with 9 people" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians heading into IPL 2024 clash vs Rajasthan Royals

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Mumbai Indians' (MI) team selection heading into their IPL 2024 clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

The two sides will face off at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday, April 22. With six points from seven games, MI are seventh in the standings. However, a win against RR will help them join three other teams on eight points.

Previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that the Mumbai Indians are playing virtually with nine players as they haven't been able to utilize Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd effectively.

"They have decided that they will play cricket with nine people, which is beyond my understanding. You are not getting Nabi to bat or bowl. Are you playing Nabi just as a No. 8 or No. 9 batter? You don't wish at all to get him to bowl. You don't get the confidence at all to bowl him," he said (14:00)

"If you are not going to bowl him, think of someone else. Romario Shepherd's bowling is not working. If that's the case, are you playing him also for batting? Look within a little. You just got saved by the skin of your teeth in the last match. Your bowling is looking extremely ordinary barring Jasprit Bumrah," the former India opener added.

Nabi has bowled only six overs in four games in IPL 2024. Shepherd has bowled 10 overs at an economy rate of 12.90 in five matches.

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"I will go with Rohit Sharma" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians players to watch out for

Rohit Sharma is the Mumbai Indians' highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra chose Rohit Sharma as the first Mumbai Indians player to watch out for in Monday's game.

"I will go with Rohit Sharma. Trent Boult will be there in front of him for sure but it's payback week. If you were dismissed for a first-ball duck last time, open Trent Boult's nuts and bolts this time. Considering the form Rohit Sharma is in, I am thinking he should take down the opposition," he reasoned (14:45).

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects Suryakumar Yadav to fire with the bat in successive games for the first time.

"My second player is Suryakumar Yadav. Till now - zeros on odd days and he goes big on even days. If you go by that logic, it's an odd day now, but I am thinking Suryakumar Yadav is too good to fail. A pattern cannot be created," Chopra stated.

Chopra picked Jasprit Bumrah as the Mumbai Indians bowler in focus against the Rajasthan Royals.

"My third player is, of course, Jasprit Bumrah. He has an app to convert the match into a 16-over affair. No one is able to score more than 20-22 runs in his four overs and he picks up two-three wickets. He is that kind of a player. If you keep him wicketless, you can score even 180 in the remaining 16 overs," he explained.

Bumrah is the Purple Cap holder in IPL 2024. The MI seamer has accounted for 13 dismissals in seven games at an exceptional economy rate of 5.96.