Aakash Chopra highlights KKR’s batting flaws -‘Russell, Rinku, Ramandeep haven’t played a single good innings’

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the reigning champions, have won three of their seven Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 games and lost four. They will try to move up the standings when they meet the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 21.

This season, KKR has experienced some disappointments from their batting unit. In their most recent match in Mullanpur, the team captained by Ajinkya Rahane was unable to chase down a target of 112 runs. On Monday, KKR will try to recover in front of their home crowd following the heartbreaking loss.

Prior to the eagerly anticipated match, legendary Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that none of the KKR hitters had been able to reach their full potential, with the exception of Mumbai batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh have yet to produce a strong knock in the 18th edition of the IPL, according to the cricketer-turned-expert.

“KKR played their best game ever, scoring 95 runs. For about 115, you went all out, even in Mumbai.

Despite having depth, the batting has become problematic because so few players are contributing to the team. Chopra claimed in a video posted on his official YouTube page that Rahane and Raghuvanshi were playing well.

Except for them, everyone is erratic. Venkatesh Iyer has had a strong outing. Quinton de Kock has had a strong outing. An oddly decent innings was played by Sunil Narine. To now, Russell, Rinku, and Ramandeep have failed to produce a single strong innings. That is your issue,” he continued.

Chopra added that KKR ought to decide on a batting order. When there is depth in the hitting lineup, he said, players occasionally fail to assume enough responsibility.

When combined, the top three perform well: Aakash Chopra

The Gujarat Titans have relied largely on their top three batsmen, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, and Shubman Gill. This season, nearly 70% of Gujarat’s runs have come from this trio. The 2022 winners, according to Chopra, will be hoping for another strong showing from them on Monday. He stated that Sherfane Rutherford’s runs in the team’s most recent match against the Delhi Capitals would boost their confidence.

Although it’s incomprehensible, Gujarat is playing well. When combined, the top three do well. It’s a fantastic tale. They will likewise be reliant on them here. “Sherfane Rutherford was a good addition, and he played well in the last game,” he remarked.

Rashid Khan’s poor play and Shubman’s hesitation to utilise Sai Kishore against left-handed hitters, according to the 47-year-old, are issues for the Titans.

“Arshad Khan, Ishant Sharma, and Prasidh Krishna are bowling really effectively, but will you not have Sai Kishore bowl if a left-hander arrives? Thus, there are certain ambiguities, and Rashid Khan’s shape is completely gone. Chopra saw, “He is even dropping catches now, which he didn’t do before.”