"Why are you complicating things?" - Aakash Chopra to RR ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs DC

Former India player Aakash Chopra has urged the Rajasthan Royals (RR) not to complicate things by sticking to a left-right batting combination at all costs in their IPL 2025 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC). He pointed out that such a tactic hasn't proved beneficial for them in previous games.

RR will lock horns with DC in Match 32 of IPL 2025 in Delhi on Wednesday, April 16. With four points from six games, Sanju Samson and company are placed eighth on the points table.

Previewing the RR-DC IPL 2025 clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that some of the visitors' best batters haven't played enough deliveries due to their left-right batting combination policy.

"Left-right is good, but left-right is not the be-all and end-all of your life, that you need left-right no matter what happens. You kept Shimron Hetmyer down the order one day because a right-hander would be sent if a right-hander had been dismissed. After that, you sent Wanindu Hasaranga up the order one day," Chopra said (11:15).

"You didn't make Nitish Rana bat one day. You sent Dhruv Jurel up the order as you wanted a left-right combination. It doesn't make sense. Why are you complicating things? However, that's been Rajasthan's story, they tend to overcomplicate things. You will repeatedly hear 'paralysis by analysis' when I preview or review a Rajasthan game," he added.

Nitish Rana faced only one delivery in the Rajasthan Royals' nine-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their previous game in Jaipur on April 13. Shimron Hetmyer has generally been held back for the last few overs and has played only 99 deliveries in six innings in IPL 2025.

---

"Tushar Deshpande is a good bowler, but he tends to be a little expensive" - Aakash Chopra on RR's bowling ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs DC

Tushar Deshpande has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 11.33 in five innings in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the Rajasthan Royals' bowling, Aakash Chopra noted that they have a decent seam attack, with Tushar Deshpande tending to be slightly expensive.

"If we talk about the bowling, they are an okay side. Jofra Archer is good. Sandeep Sharma is good in patches. He might not be that good if you ask him to bowl with the new ball. Tushar Deshpande is a good bowler, but he tends to be a little expensive, which is a problem," he said (12:00) in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commenator added that RR have two decent overseas spinners in Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, highlighting that they are not of the same quality as Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine.

"You have two overseas spinners, and seeing both of them, you won't say that they have got someone like Sunil Narine with Rashid Khan. They are decent bowlers. I am not saying that they are bad bowlers, but they are not the same. So you will have to win the match with batting only," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra urged the team winning the toss to consider batting first if dew is not expected. To conclude, he picked the Delhi Capitals as the likely winners in their IPL 2025 clash against the Rajasthan Royals.