'What has happened to you?' - Aakash Chopra voices concerns over Yashasvi Jaiswal's form

Aakash Chopra expressed his concerns over Yashasvi Jaiswal's dismal form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 ahead of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash on Saturday, April 13.

The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur is set to host its third IPL match on Saturday. Ahead of the crucial encounter, the former India opener analysed Rajasthan's performance so far in the tournament and spoke about players to watch out for. Chopra pointed out that Yashasvi is going through a dry patch in IPL 2024. The southpaw became a household name with an excellent campaign with the bat last year in the cash-rich league. His efforts were rewarded as he made his debut for India in Tests and T20Is and impressed everyone with his sensational talent. However, IPL 2024 has been very challenging for the opening batter as he has scored just 63 runs from five matches at a paltry average of 12.60.

"Yashasvi is not scoring runs at all. (Jos) Buttler, Sanju (Samson) and Riyan Parag's bats are firing, Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson hit a lot in the last match, but Yashasvi - what has happened to you? I will not focus on Yashasvi. I focus on him in every match and he doesn't score runs," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

The 46-year-old picked England's T20 captain Jos Buttler as the first player to focus on in the Punjab versus Rajasthan clash. Buttler scored his sixth IPL century (100* off 58 balls) in Rajasthan's fourth game of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, in the other four matches, the veteran has accumulated just 43 runs. Chopra stated that if the wicketkeeper-batter fires at the top, he could thwart Punjab's potent new-ball duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada.

"I am focusing on Jos Buttler because if he fires against the new ball and neutralizes Arshdeep (Singh) and (Kagiso) Rabada's threat, he can actually be the game-changer. So I am going with Jos Buttler as the first player. He played very well in one knock, scored a hundred in his 100th game, but he too hasn't done anything apart from that," Chopra elaborated.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Jos Buttler expresses desire of Shah Rukh Khan to play his character in biopic

Riyan Parag is batting so well and luck is also favouring him: Aakash Chopra

After Buttler, Chopra picked Riyan Parag as the player to keep an eye on. The Assam captain has been in impeccable form, having scored 261 runs from five matches at an average of 87 and a strike rate of 158.18. He is the second-highest run-getter in IPL 2024 after Virat Kohli.

"The second player I am going with is Riyan Parag because he is Riyan Parag. He is batting so well and luck is also favoring him nowadays. He could have gotten out to Rashid Khan but didn't. So I am going to focus on Riyan Parag," he said

Also Read: IPL 2024, Match 27: Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals Match Preview

Chopra stated that the ball could swing at the venue in the first few overs. He named Trent Boult as the third player to watch out for because of his ability to masterfully move the new ball. The Delhi batter felt that the pacers would make more impact in the game than the spinners.

"The third player, I am thinking that I should go with a fast bowler - Trent Boult because the ball will swing a little in Mullanpur. When it swings, spin will have a lesser role, then you will want your faster bowlers to come to the fore. They have many now - Trent Boult, Nandre Burger, Avesh Khan, and Kuldeep Sen," Chopra explained.