I would still say there is a slight weakness in RCB's spin bowling: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra opened up on Royal Challengers Bengaluru's win over Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on May 29 in Mullanpur. Chopra reviewed the match and RCB's performance, which took them to the IPL 2025 final. The former Indian batter praised Josh Hazlewood for being at his best despite returning from injury.

Chopra was impressed by the fact that Hazlewood did not need any time to get into his rhythm and went after two of the best PBKS batters, Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis. Chopra claimed that the PBKS skipper could not play the RCB pacer and added that the wicket of Inglis put a dent in the middle order of the home side.

"Josh Hazlewood came, and what a trajectory this guy has. He doesn't stop. He had come after an injury. At times, you are slightly ginger when you return from injury and are playing your first match. He said, 'Forget that, I will do it. He dismissed Shreyas Iyer for the fourth time. Shreyas Iyer isn't able to play at all against him, and he didn't stop there. After that, Josh Inglis. I thought those were the two biggest wickets in the middle order, and it was all over," said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.

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There are chances of them getting stuck there: Chopra

He then opened up on RCB's spin bowling attack and claimed it to still be a slight weakness on paper. The popular analyst felt that RCB does not have an upgrade for Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya, and felt that they could get stuck when things don't go their way.

"What was this team's weakness? If you ask me to preview this team once again now, I would still say there is a slight weakness in spin bowling, and there is no upgrade in spin in the form of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, and that there are chances of them getting stuck there," added Aakash Chopra.

However, he praised the duo for doing their job in the ongoing season. Chopra noted that Krunal Pandya won RCB the match against Delhi Capitals, and Suyash came to the party when it mattered a lot in the big match against Punjab Kings. He claimed that Suyash's googly spins more while his leg spin turns less.

Chopra noted that Sharma took the wickets of Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, and Musheer Khan, and changed the match with his spell. The former KKR batter claimed that RCB have a lot of bases covered and deserved to enter the final by beating PBKS.

"Krunal Pandya had already won two Player of the Match awards, and now Suyash Sharma came and bowled within the three stumps. His googly turns more. The leg spin turns less. He picked up three wickets, and whose wickets were those - Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, and Musheer Khan, who came in as the impact player," Chopra added.