Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a great start to the season and have continued their great form in this season of the competition as they hold on to the second position on the points table. His dominance is such that his run rate is increasing rapidly this season.
Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, holds a special rivalry with the defending champions. After playing eight games in the season they have managed to win half of their matches while losing the other half. The last time the Titans faced RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, they had to face defeat.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recently highlighted the flaws that have plagued RCB and GT XI so far in this edition of the IPL and suggested that these could be concerns affecting their play in the crucial clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
It’s not good enough – Aakash Chopra points out the England star’s poor form
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed serious concerns over Jacob Bethel’s batting form for RCB at the top of the order. The English star replaced Phil Salt at the top of RCB’s batting order when Salt started to regain form, but was unfortunate to miss out due to injury.
With scores of 14 and 20 in the two games, he got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Chopra believes that he has not been able to live up to the expectations within the camp.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra claimed that Bethel, despite being given opportunities, has failed to perform in recent times.
“Don’t change anything, although there will be a bit of pressure on Jacob Bethel because some time ago, Alastair Cook was telling him to come back if he is not being played. He is playing, but he is not scoring runs. He is playing cameos. It is not good enough. So that is something they would like to change,” Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra doubts Romario Shepherd’s role clarity for RCB
The former KKR cricketer then claimed that Romario Shepherd has been another player in the RCB XI whose role has been questionable throughout this season, and even RCB does not have clarity on his usage.
He pointed out that whenever Shepherd was handed the ball, he was very expensive with the ball, which also led to him losing the match against Delhi Capitals, which was his only defeat to Chinnaswamy this season. He has not got many opportunities to contribute with the bat.
“They still don’t know what Romario Shepherd’s role is because when he comes to bowl he is hit a lot, and he is not getting a chance to bat. It is another unbelievable thing that all the teams are playing with 12, they are playing with 11 and still winning,” said Aakash Chopra.
Chopra highlights huge drawbacks for GT in IPL 2026
Turning his attention towards Gujarat Titans, Aakash Chopra claimed that the team, despite batting well, is once again heavily dependent on its top three, which includes Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. GT has won games where all three have not failed to perform.
“GT, you have two issues. This also includes your dependence on the top three, which will remain. You can’t do anything about it. Sai Sudarshan scored runs that day (in the game against RCB) and needs to score runs today too, otherwise Shubman Gill or Jos Buttler should score runs,” he said.
Another problem that did not escape Aakash Chopra’s notice was the Titans’ worrying batting form in the death overs, where they have failed to score runs as quickly as other teams. He has been successful in scoring maximum 42 runs in the last four, which is much less as compared to others. However, Jason Holder’s fortunes may slowly change in the final four.
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