Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra took centre stage and pointed out the weak points for Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the upcoming game against Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025.
The stage is set for game 57 of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 7. Chennai Super Kings were the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after a string of subpar performances.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are still in the race for the playoffs. The side occupies sixth place in the standings. With 11 matches played, the defending champions have won five matches and lost the remaining five games. They will have to win their upcoming game in order to stay in the race for the playoffs.
Ahead of the crucial game, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra came forward and talked about the potential weak point for Kolkata Knight Riders that could come to haunt them in their game against CSK.
Chopra opined that the presence of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ajinkya Rahane in the middle order for KKR are the pain points for KKR. He also stated that the franchise is unable to utilise the two batters in the middle.
“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,” Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
He also talked about how the side has underutilised Venkatesh Iyer in the ongoing season. Interestingly, Iyer was roped in by KKR for Rs. 23.75 crore in the mega auction, and the star batter has been unable to perform to his potential.
“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 elaborated.