IPL 2024: "Shubham Dubey Can Tonk The Ball Properly"- Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra commends the Rajasthan Royals’ strategic approach in targeting lower-middle-order batters in the IPL 2024 auction. Aakash Chopra expressed that Shubham Dubey is an excellent addition to the Rajasthan Royals’ team.

The inaugural champions made a bold move by securing the relatively unknown talent of Shubham Dubey. The franchise invested a substantial amount, Rs 5.80 crore, to bring Dubey into their squad. The Delhi Capitals also showed interest in purchasing the player.

Dubey showcased his impactful performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The batter amassed 485 runs in 19 T20 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 145.20. Additionally, the Vidharbha batter scored 159 runs in six List A innings at a decent strike rate of 90.34.

Went With An Extremely Clear Strategy – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra mentioned that the Rajasthan Royals successfully obtained Shubham Dubey despite the challenge of securing an Indian finisher.

“They went with an extremely clear strategy into the auction, that they need batters who can bat down the order. For that, they first started bidding for Rovman Powell, who interestingly enough came in the first set, and they went after him. They said they needed him. I liked the clarity,” Chopra said.

“They didn’t stop there. It wasn’t easy to buy an Indian finisher in this auction. Shubham Dubey, Shahrukh Khan and Kumar Kushagra were the options. They tried their best and acquired Shubham Dubey. He is a left-hander who has come from tennis-ball cricket. He can tonk the ball properly,” he added.

The franchise secured the services of Rovman Powell for Rs 7.40 crore in the mini-auction. Alongside Shimron Hetmyer, Powell is expected to contribute to strong finishes for the team. He scored 257 runs in 15 IPL innings at an impressive strike rate of 146.02.

They Weren’t Able To Use Him Properly – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra highlighted issues faced by the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023, pointing out their struggle with the Impact Player rule. He noted the team’s composition with only five bowlers and six batters, lacking a designated No. 7 batter or an extra bowler.

“Rajasthan, for a very strange reason, although they are a team that lays a lot of emphasis on analytics, a lot of people say that they can make their XI based on numbers, but despite that, they just could not crack the Impact Player rule,” Chopra further added.

“They used to have only five bowlers and six batters. Every team had a batter at No. 7 and an extra bowler but their team didn’t used to have one, and even if there was one, they weren’t able to use him properly. It was baffling,” he concluded.

The Rajasthan Royals fell short of securing a playoff spot in the 2023 IPL season under the captaincy of Sanju Samson. In the 2022 IPL season, the Rajasthan franchise reached the final match but faced defeat against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the summit clash.

Also read: IND vs SA: “Kagiso Rabada Has Rohit Sharma’s Number…” – Aakash Chopra On India Captain’s Failure