Former India player Aakash Chopra has named the potential presence of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ajinkya Rahane together in the middle as one of KKR’s pain points before their IPL 2025 match against the CSK. He also added that the franchise is unable to utilize its batting power effectively this season. However, KKR will host CSK in Kolkata on Wednesday, May 7.

Previewing the KKR-CSK IPL 2025 clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “When you see this team’s pedigree, expertise and experience, you ask why they haven’t qualified yet. What are the pain points? Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ajinkya Rahane cannot bat together. They should not be batting together. If Rahane is batting well, hold Raghuvanshi back. If Rahane has gotten out, send Raghuvanshi, but when both of them bat together, it seems like they are going slow.”

“You aren’t able to use your firepower. You didn’t pay so much money to Venkatesh Iyer to make him sit out. Send him in. You sent Russell early in the last match, and you saw the difference it made. You won the match by one run, and you had scored 80-85 runs after 10 overs. It seemed like you were going fine. How were you going fine?” he expressed.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra also picked opening batting as another concern for the KKR as well.

“Opening is not working. I don’t know the way out. You play an overseas keeper, but he doesn’t do well. You dropped the one who did well. Quinton de Kock did well in one match, he was the Player of the Match as well, and you dropped him after he didn’t score runs in a few matches,” he said.

“I would say bring him back. When I compare Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock, I feel Quinton de Kock is a better option. Correct the opening partnership. Somehow figure out a way to get that right. If runs are scored there, things will start becoming fine,” Aakash Chopra concluded.