"There is talk in cricketing circles that Rajasthan is doing Rajasthan things" - Aakash Chopra on RR's losing run ahead of PBKS clash

Aakash Chopra has noted that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have once again shown the tendency to lose their way at the business end of an IPL season. Sanju Samson and company have lost their last three games in IPL 2024.

The Rajasthan Royals will face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their penultimate league game in Guwahati on Wednesday, May 15. With 16 points from 12 games, RR have already booked their berth in the playoffs and a win against PBKS will help them bolster their chances of finishing in the top two and making it through to Qualifier 1.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Rajasthan Royals' campaign has nosedived in their last few games.

"It's typical Rajasthan. There is talk in cricketing circles that Rajasthan is doing Rajasthan things. When they play well, they do that consistently, but then suddenly they go off the boil, and you think what has happened to this team. It happened last year as well," he said (5:15).

"They were playing well and it seemed like they would 100% qualify but they didn't. They did play the final in the year before that for sure but here also, eight wins in nine games - it rarely happens, but after that, you lost three consecutive games. The way they played the last match was disappointing in capital letters," the former India opener added.

RR won eight of their first nine games in IPL 2024. However, they have lost to the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), the Delhi Capitals (DC), and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last three games and allowed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to leapfrog them into top spot on the points table.

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"You will have to say that Yashasvi Jaiswal has to score runs" - Aakash Chopra on RR players to watch out for

Yashasvi Jaiswal has aggregated 344 runs at a strike rate of 153.57 in 12 innings in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra chose Yashasvi Jaiswal as the first Rajasthan Royals player in focus in Wednesday's game.

"Buttler has left. So you will have to say that Yashasvi Jaiswal has to score runs. He scored runs the last time they played on this ground. Forget the pull shot for some time. A flat pitch, make the most of it. All of us considered you a contender for the Orange Cup but you have not reached that far," he reasoned (6:25).

The cricketer-turned-commentator picked Sanju Samson as the second RR batter to watch out for against the Punjab Kings.

"I am going towards his captain Sanju Samson as the second player. Sanju is batting well. He is in red-hot form. He didn't look in rhythm in the last match, which can happen. When you see Sanju, you feel life is beautiful. Batting seems easy when he plays," Chopra said.

Chopra chose Trent Boult as the Rajasthan Royals bowler he is eager to watch.

"I am going with Trent Boult here. You might see both Trent Boult and Nandre Burger playing here. It will be interesting to see how they bowl with the new ball because if you attack with the new ball and pick up two or three wickets in the first six overs, you might see more weaknesses in Punjab's batting lineup this time," he elaborated.

With 11 scalps in 12 games, Boult is RR's joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024 alongside Avesh Khan. Only Yuzvendra Chahal (15) has taken more wickets for the Royals this season.