'I will be very tempted to retain Riyan Parag' - Aakash Chopra backs youngster to get retained by RR ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction

Rajasthan Royals were out of the Indian Premier League 2024 after they were thrashed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2. But the team had a dominant run in the first half of the IPL 2024. Their priced possession, Riyan Parag was the talk of the town as he swung his blade to the top of the runs chart for the franchise. On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal became the first bowler to surpass the 200 wicket mark in the IPL. 

The latest headache for the Rajasthan franchise would be to choose between these couple of star players going ahead of auctions in the 2025 edition. Going by the retention rules, RR will have to let go either Parag or Chahal as the other two Indian players' slots will be filled by Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Speaking on the same, Aakash Chopra has backed Parag to make the cut over Chahal before the mega auctions.

Also Read: BCCI likely to stick with 3+1 retention rule in Indian Premier League ahead of 2025 auction

“Jos Buttler will be one player I will retain. So you can assume he is my third retention. Now one between Riyan Parag and Yuzvendra Chahal. I will be very tempted to retain Riyan Parag because they have invested a lot in Riyan Parag. I can acquire Yuzi Chahal using the 'Right to Match' card, or else the other way around,” said Chopra on his YouTube Channel.

Jaiswal is a long-term investment: Chopra 

RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal had a lukewarm 2024 season with the bat. The change in his batting approach was palpable, as the youngster fell prone to power-hitting rather than his usual strength of timing the ball. Nonetheless, he managed to notch up a century against Mumbai Indians. Chopra feels Jaiswal should not be judged based on a particular year, and also commended Samson for his leadership. 

“The first will be the captain - Sanju Samson. Firstly, he is a good captain. (Ravichandran) Ashwin was saying the other day - 'I don't know where he has learned this art but he is a very good captain'. From wherever he might have learned, since he is captaining well, you want to retain him,” he continued.

Also Read: 'At some point, you'll have to take me, right?' - Riyan Parag adamant on making it to Team India

“The second, I feel you will have to keep Yashasvi Jaiswal. A player does not become bad because of a year going bad. He is a long-term investment. You retained him when he was uncapped, so you should 100% retain him now,” the former India opener added.