"Jason Holder wasn't able to do that job" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' acquisition of Avesh Khan to resolve their death-bowling issues

Aakash Chopra reckons the Rajasthan Royals (RR) acquired Avesh Khan ahead of the IPL 2024 auction to resolve their death-bowling issues.

The Royals traded in Avesh and gave Devdutt Padikkal in return to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) before the auction. They spent ₹14.30 crore to buy five more players at the auction last month.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Avesh Khan's acquisition has addressed the only weak area in the Rajasthan Royals' bowling attack. He explained (3:45):

"They had released Devdutt Padikkal and got Avesh Khan in place of him. So they tried to cover the fast-bowling problem at the death. They now have Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult and Avesh Khan."

The former India opener added:

"Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Adam Zampa - so their bowling resources are totally ready. Jason Holder wasn't able to do that job and Obed McCoy also couldn't do it."

Jason Holder picked up only four wickets and had an underwhelming economy rate of 9.96 in the eight matches he played for RR in IPL 2023. Obed McCoy went wicketless and conceded 13 runs in the only over he bowled last season.

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"They can play Nandre Burger in place of Trent Boult if they want" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' acquisition of South African pacer

Nandre Burger has impressed in the ongoing multi-format series between India and South Africa. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra believes Nandre Burger is another good seam-bowling acquisition for the Rajasthan Royals. He reasoned (4:10):

"On a given day, they can play Nandre Burger in place of Trent Boult if they want. I like Nandre Burger as a bowler. He bowls at a speed of 145-146 kph. He is a good bowler. They have taken Nandre Burger and two or three good Indian players."

The reputed commentator concluded by claiming that the inaugural IPL champions had a good auction. He elaborated:

"Overall, they went with a small purse to the auction. I feel Rajasthan had a good auction. They didn't need too many things. They came away with first-choice players. At times, you aren't able to get your first-choice players. Gujarat (Titans) is an example. Their (RR's) auction strategy was quite robust."

The Royals bought Burger for his base price of ₹50 lakh at the auction. Rovman Powell (₹7.40 crore) and Shubham Dubey (₹5.80 crore) were RR's most expensive purchases. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (₹40 lakh) and Abid Mushtaq (₹20 lakh) were their other two signings.