Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra doesn't see Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the playoffs of the upcoming IPL 2021 second phase. But he believes they can spoil the party of the other franchises with a win or two against the teams who will be on the verge to qualify.
Rajasthan have won only three out of their first seven matches. They would need at least 5 wins to comfortably qualify for the top four but the franchise would be missing their key players like Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler in the second half.
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"I think the Rajasthan Royals will remain in the bottom half, they might not qualify. If they don't qualify, they will be the party poopers, they will spoil some people's party. RCB beware because if there are chances of some team's party getting spoiled, one Royal can do to the other," Chopra said in his YouTube video.
"The problem for the Rajasthan Royals is that there have been too many changes. Your main players have all gone - you don't have Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler, who had scored a century," he added.
Stokes is currently on a mental health break, while Jofra is suffering from an injury. Buttler has already opted out of the second phase due to personal reasons. He and his wife were recently blessed with a girl.
Rajasthan would need their captain Sanju Samson to perform consistently in the remaining matches to stand a chance. Chopra said the franchise has got replacements but the squad is not the same as it was earlier.
"You have signed new players like Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas, and Liam Livingstone is available. You have made the signings, you have got players but it's not the same team, the team looks slightly different. It will be extremely necessary for Sanju Samson to bat well," he opined.
It will be important for Rajasthan to use their resources well and come together as a force to take on the other strong teams. "It will not be easy, you have changed your team totally after the halfway stage. There is no replacement for Jofra Archer in the entire world, how will you get it. There are a lot of problems but this team has shown that if you combine the five fingers, it becomes a fist," said Chopra.
