Rajasthan Royals (RR) made a move to rectify their bowling issues, landing Avesh Khan believes cricket analyst Aakash Chopra, just in time for IPL 2024.
Before the auction, Royals made a deal and secured Avesh but had to part ways with Devdutt Padikkal who is now with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They also forked out ₹14.30 crore during last month’s player auction to add five fresh faces to the team.
Aakash Chopra shared a video on his YouTube channel in which he suggested that bringing on Avesh Khan has reinforced the Rajasthan Royals’ bowling strength. He said:
“They had released Devdutt Padikkal and got Avesh Khan in place of him. So they tried to cover the fast-bowling problem at the death. They now have Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult and Avesh Khan.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener added:
“Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Adam Zampa – so their bowling resources are totally ready. Jason Holder wasn’t able to do that job and Obed McCoy also couldn’t do it.”
Aakash Chopra
In the 2023 IPL, Jason Holder didn’t impress much. In eight games for RR, he secured only four wickets but had an enormous economy rate of 9.96. Obed McCoy, another season player, didn’t fare much better. He failed to get any wickets, and let slip 13 runs in just one over last season.
“They can play Nandre Burger in place of Trent Boult if they want” – Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals’ acquisition of South African pacer
Nandre Burger, in Aakash Chopra’s opinion, is another excellent seam-bowling addition for the Rajasthan Royals. He thought to himself:
“On a given day, they can play Nandre Burger in place of Trent Boult if they want. I like Nandre Burger as a bowler. He bowls at a speed of 145-146 kph. He is a good bowler. They have taken Nandre Burger and two or three good Indian players.”
Aakash Chopra
The well-known pundit ended by saying that the first-ever IPL champions had a successful auction. He clarified:
“Overall, they went with a small purse to the auction. I feel Rajasthan had a good auction. They didn’t need too many things. They came away with first-choice players. At times, you aren’t able to get your first-choice players. Gujarat (Titans) is an example. Their (RR’s) auction strategy was quite robust.”
Aakash Chopra
At the auction, Burger was purchased by the Royals for his basic price of ₹50 lakh. The two most costly acquisitions made by RR were Shubham Dubey (₹5.80 crore) and Rovman Powell (₹7.40 crore). Their other two signings were Abid Mushtaq (₹20 lakh) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (₹40 lakh).