With the IPL season fast approaching, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has cast a critical eye on the Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack, particularly their ability to perform in the high-pressure death overs. Chopra pinpointed concerns surrounding their dependence on Trent Boult as the lead overseas seamer.

While acknowledging Boult’s impressive record for the Royals, Aakash Chopra emphasized that his strength lies in swinging the new ball, not necessarily delivering under immense late-inning pressure. Boult’s less-than-stellar performance in death overs has led Chopra to question his suitability for such crucial situations.

Further compounding the issue, Aakash Chopra highlighted potential weaknesses in the Royals’ core seam-bowling trio of Boult, Nandre Burger, and Avesh Khan. He expressed doubts about their collective ability to restrict runs and take wickets during the death overs, raising a significant challenge for the team’s overall performance.

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“Their death bowling is not that strong. Trent Boult is not that good as a death bowler,” Aakash Chopra said in a YouTube video. “Nandre Burger, if he plays, also concedes a lot of runs. They traded in Avesh Khan for Devdutt Padikkal, but Avesh is also very expensive,” he elaborated.

The lack of a genuine all-rounder in the Royals’ squad was another concern raised by Chopra. He pointed out how their reliance on a five-bowler strategy in previous seasons limited their flexibility, often exposing the batting line-up’s fragility beyond the sixth position.

“They don’t have an all-rounder. If someone couldn’t use the Impact Player last year, it was this team,” Aakash Chopra stated. “Despite having the Impact Player, they used to play only five bowlers and their batting used to end at No. 6,” he added.

While the new Impact Player rule allows for greater flexibility, Aakash Chopra believes the Royals will still need significant contributions from players like Rovman Powell and Riyan Parag with both bat and ball. However, the absence of a top-class all-rounder could leave them vulnerable, as opposing teams might exploit this weakness in their strategy.

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“So that is a potential weakness for sure, which the opposing teams will look to exploit,” Chopra concluded.

As the Royals prepare for the upcoming IPL season, addressing these concerns in their bowling attack and finding solutions for their lack of a quality all-rounder will be critical for their success in the tournament.