Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has flagged potential concerns for Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of IPL 2026, pointing to their young and relatively inexperienced batting unit as a key challenge.
The Royals made a big move ahead of the auction by trading Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), bringing in Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja in return. The Royals also traded Nitish Rana to Delhi Capitals and acquired Donovan Ferreira in a trade.
The young batting core in the spotlight
In a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra’, he pointed out that RR’s batting core largely features young names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel.
“You can call it weaknesses or challenges. The batting line-up is extremely young. Yashasvi Jaiswal is experienced, but he is still young. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is batting a lot, but he is a young kid.
“Dhruv Jurel has immense potential but he is still unproven in the IPL as he has not scored runs there,” he said.
Experience gap is a growing concern
Chopra also noted that while Riyan Parag has shown promise, he is yet to establish himself internationally. He added that Shimron Hetmyer’s role could be compromised as RR may not be able to use him in his preferred batting position. Notably, Parag will captain the Royals in the IPL 2026 season.
“Riyan Parag has shown a lot of promise and potential, but he is not an established international star. Shimron Hetmyer is there for sure, but the number he batted with for the West Indies is not available. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to play him there. Donovan Ferreira has limited international experience,” he explained.
Summing up the batting concerns, Chopra emphasized that while there is a lot of promise, the lack of international exposure in the top order could prove difficult.
“When I look at the top six, there is a lot of potential, but the international experience is very, very limited, except for Shimron Hetmyer, who you won’t be able to give the number where he has been successful. So this is a challenge,” Chopra observed.
Hetmyer, in particular, was one of West Indies’ standout players in the 2026 T20 World Cup, scoring 248 runs at a strike rate of 186.46 in seven innings while batting at No. 3, a role he is unlikely to repeat in RR.
Spin attack faces concerns
Chopra also identified spin bowling as another area of ​​concern, citing the recent form of key players.
“Bowling stock has gone up for sure, but the current form is a slight issue, and that is a bit worrying. It may not be a worry, but I see it as a challenge. Ravi Bishnoi’s last year was extremely cold. That’s why he was released. A great addition, but the recent form is not great,” he said.
He further added that Jadeja, despite his pedigree, has not been at his best in terms of wicket-taking in the T20 format over the last few seasons.
“Ravindra Jadeja, again is a great addition, but his current form in T20 cricket, from the perspective of his wicket-taking ability, is not very good if you look at his bowling for CSK over the last two years. So you sure have two good spinners, but his current form is not their friend. You can see it as a challenge,” observed Chopra.
Bishnoi managed nine wickets in 11 innings during IPL 2025, conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.83. Meanwhile, Jadeja picked up 10 wickets in 14 matches, with an economy rate of 8.56 last season.