Rajasthan Royals’ Ravi Bishnoi, second left, celebrates with teammates (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Ravi Bishnoi for his decisive spell in Rajasthan Royals’ narrow six-run win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. He also remarked that the leg-spinner was undervalued at the auction and deserved a significantly higher price.Chasing 211 in Ahmedabad on April 4, Gujarat were undone largely by Bishnoi’s impact with the ball. The wrist-spinner returned figures of 4/41 from his four overs, striking at key moments to tilt the game in Rajasthan’s favour.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on Bishnoi’s value and performance.“Ravi Bishnoi, we were talking at the time of the auction that he was sold very cheaply – seven crores is cheap. He should have got 10-11 crores. He was a brilliant acquisition at seven crores. He picked up four wickets and made the difference in the end because all the important wickets were in his name.”Chopra also reserved special praise for Tushar Deshpande, who delivered under pressure in the final over to seal the game.“Tushar Deshpande came into the team and Brijesh Sharma wasn’t there, and what a change in the end because Tushar Deshpande was standing between a win and a loss. Tushar Deshpande executed those yorkers beautifully. Thumbs up with both hands for executing under pressure,” he observed.Deshpande finished with figures of 1/24 in three overs and held his nerve in the final over, conceding just four runs while dismissing Rashid Khan when Gujarat needed 11 off six balls.Earlier in the innings, Dhruv Jurel played a standout knock, scoring 75 off 42 deliveries to anchor Rajasthan’s innings. Chopra praised his maturity, especially after being promoted up the order this season.“Before that, Dhruv Jurel. They have taken a big call this season to make him bat at No. 3, and he was absolutely stellar. He batted almost till the end. He scored his first Test century at this ground only. Very good guy. I love him to bits. I feel very happy when he does well. Then their two openers. In my opinion, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the most explosive openers of this league,” he said.Alongside Jurel, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (31 off 18) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (55 off 36) provided Rajasthan with a strong start at the top.On the other hand, Chopra pointed out shortcomings in Gujarat’s chase, suggesting that better planning could have changed the result.“GT, this match was yours. There are problems in batting. Shubman Gill’s injury, of course, didn’t help, but wickets fell at regular intervals. I thought it was a slightly haphazard chase. You could have won this game had you constructed it slightly better,” Chopra observed.

Despite a solid 73 off 44 from Sai Sudharsan, Gujarat lost momentum after his dismissal. From a strong position of 107/1 in 10.3 overs, the innings unraveled, allowing Rajasthan to complete a dramatic turnaround.

Delhi Capitals’ Mitchell Starc (PTI Photo)

Aakash Chopra has raised concerns over Cricket Australia’s reported decision to delay Mitchell Starc’s availability for IPL 2026, questioning the logic behind resting a fully fit player.Starc, who was expected to spearhead the bowling attack for Delhi Capitals, is likely to miss the initial matches due to workload management despite not playing any competitive cricket for nearly two months.In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed his confusion over the move, especially with other Australian quicks like Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins already sidelined due to injuries.“If Mitchell Starc is also not going to come at the start, what is Cricket Australia doing? You didn’t let Josh Hazlewood come, Pat Cummins isn’t coming, and now you have held back Mitchell Starc, even though he is absolutely fit. He has already said goodbye to T20Is. So what has he done in the last two months or so?” he said.Chopra pointed out that Starc has not featured in any matches since the 2025–26 Ashes and questioned the need to preserve him so early for the upcoming five-Test series against India.“He hasn’t played any cricket after the Ashes, but despite that, you have asked him to rest because a big Test season is coming up, in which there are five Test matches against India. That’s just before the next IPL. Why are you doing that now?” he observed.The former India batter also suggested that franchises may soon need to rethink their stance if players begin missing IPL matches despite being fit, simply as a precaution.Chopra also spoke about Lockie Ferguson, who is reportedly set to miss the start of IPL 2026 to spend time with his family.“I am thinking about Lockie Ferguson, and that’s a serious one. I don’t know whether he has an injury or not, but based on what I have read, he isn’t available for seven matches. He is saying he wants to spend some time with the family,” he said.Ferguson, who will represent Punjab Kings after being picked up for ₹2 crore, could miss a significant portion of the tournament, something Chopra believes franchises will need to take seriously.“He was available at the base price. He was bought for ₹2 crore. He is playing for New Zealand. Then he will go home and spend time with his family. It’s not a bad thing. Don’t judge anyone, but if you are leaving seven matches in the IPL after giving a commitment just because of that, then teams will have to realize that this is not right,” Chopra observed.Chopra added that there is a growing possibility of players opting for partial participation while earning pro-rata payments, though he clarified he was not accusing anyone of doing so deliberately.

Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag (PTI Photo)

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has flagged potential concerns for Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of IPL 2026, pointing to their youthful and relatively inexperienced batting unit as a key challenge. The Royals made a major call before the auction by trading Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), bringing in Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja in return. The Royals also traded Nitish Rana to Delhi Capitals and acquired Donovan Ferreira via a trade.

Young batting core under the spotlight In a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra’, he noted that RR’s batting core heavily features young names such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel. “You can call it weaknesses or challenges. The batting lineup is extremely young. Yashasvi Jaiswal is experienced, but he is still young. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is hitting a lot, but he is a young kid. Dhruv Jurel has immense potential, but he is still unproven in the IPL because he hasn’t scored runs there,” he said. Experience gap a growing concern Chopra also pointed out that while Riyan Parag has shown promise, he is yet to establish himself at the international level. He added that Shimron Hetmyer’s role could be compromised, as RR may not be able to utilise him in his preferred batting position. Notably, Parag is set to captain the Royals in the IPL 2026 season. “Riyan Parag has shown a lot of promise and potential, but he is not an established international star. Shimron Hetmyer is there for sure, but the number at which he batted for the West Indies isn’t available. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to play him there. Donovan Ferreira has limited international experience,” he elaborated. Summing up the batting concerns, Chopra stressed that while there is plenty of promise, the lack of international exposure across the top order could prove tricky. “When I look at the top six, a lot of potential is seen, but international experience is very, very limited, except for Shimron Hetmyer, for whom they will not be able to give the number at which he has been successful. So that is a bit of a challenge,” Chopra observed. Hetmyer, notably, was one of the standout performers for West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2026, scoring 248 runs at a strike rate of 186.46 in seven innings while batting at No. 3 — a role he is unlikely to reprise for RR. Spin attack faces form concerns Chopra also identified spin bowling as another area of concern, citing the recent form of key players. “The spin bowling stocks have gone up for sure, but the current form is a slight issue, and that is a bit of a concern. It might not be a concern, but I am looking at it as a challenge. Ravi Bishnoi’s last year was extremely cold. That’s why he was released. A great addition, but recent form is not great,” he said. He further added that Jadeja, despite his pedigree, has not been at his best in terms of wicket-taking in the T20 format over the past couple of seasons. “Ravindra Jadeja, again a great addition, but his current form in T20 cricket, from a wicket-taking ability perspective, is not great if you look at his bowling for CSK for the last two years. So you have two good spinners for sure, but their current form is not their friend. You can see that as a challenge,” Chopra observed. Bishnoi managed nine wickets in 11 innings during IPL 2025, conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.83. Jadeja, meanwhile, picked up 10 wickets in 14 matches, with an economy rate of 8.56 last season.