Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has picked Rajasthan Royals’ batting as one of their strengths ahead of IPL 2026. RR traded out their former captain Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings and in exchange got the all-rounder’s duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jasiwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to be RR’s main batters in the upcoming season.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “I do feel they still have an excellent batting order. If you can maintain a good batting order despite Sanju Samson leaving, it means well done. If Vaibhav Suryavanshi opens with Yashasvi Jaiswal, they then have Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran,” he said.
The renowned commentator reckons RR’s batting line-up will be a force to reckon with.
“It’s not looking bad from anywhere. If you want more explosivity at the top, they can also play Lhuan-dre Pretorius. They have got enough and more. Despite Sanju Samson leaving, if you have so much batting ability and power, you will be a force to reckon with. They have batting might. There is no doubt about that,” he observed.
The former KKR batter highlighted that RR have a plethora of fast bowlers in their squad, who can do the job for them.
“They have a plethora of fast bowlers. They have Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Adam Milne, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen and Yudhvir Singh Charak. They have got plenty of fast-bowling options available. They can manage both the top and the tail,” he said.
“They have people to bowl with the new ball and the old ball, and they can bowl well at both ends. They have left-arm options as well. They have Nandre Burger and Kwena Maphaka. They have Sandeep Sharma in the form of swing and Jofra Archer in the form of pace. Tushar Deshpande is fast and swings it a little as well,” Chopra observed.
Riyan Parag’s team will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at Guwahati on 30th March.
