IPL 2023: "This Team's Problem Has Been The Lower-Middle Order, They Shouldn't Run After Mayank Agarwal At All" - Aakash Chopra Believes Rajasthan Royals Don't Need Top Order Batsmen

With the T20 World Cup over, the focus has shifted to the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League’s mini-auction, which is scheduled to take place on December 23rd in Kochi. Ahead of the mini-auction, all the teams have revealed which players they have retained and released for the next edition of the IPL.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) announced their retentions ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction on Tuesday. As part of their retention process, the Royals released nine players, including five overseas players Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Corbin Bosch and Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Rassie van der Dussen. After winning the title in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, the Sanju Samson-led team finished runners-up in the last edition.

There Is No Place For A Top-Order Batter – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra believes the Rajasthan Royals (RR) do not require a top-order batsman. Chopra stated in a video posted on his YouTube channel that Mayank and Manish Pandey should not be included in the Rajasthan Royals’ auction plans and instead bid for Heinrich Klaasen in the auction.

“This team’s problem has been the lower-middle order, who will do the finishing. There is no place for a top-order batter. They shouldn’t run after Mayank Agarwal at all, Devdutt Padikkal is not getting a spot. They shouldn’t go towards Manish Pandey as well.”

“This team has had problems with the balance. If there have been problems in the batting, it has been in the lower-middle order. Rilee Rossouw, Heinrich Klaasen – Klaasen could be that guy who bats in the lower order and plays a few big shots. Shimron Hetmyer is a part of this team for sure.”

Based on their current line-up, the Royals can field a top six of Jos Buttler, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag. They want to have more options in the middle order, which will be their Achilles’ heel in IPL 2022. They had INR 13.2 crores in their purse before the mini-auction.

Also read: IND vs NZ: “The Next T20 WC Is Almost Two Years So We Have Time, The Road Map Starts From Now” – Hardik Pandya Feels Players Will Get Enough Chances