Former India batter Aakash Chopra has said that the Impact Player will be crucial in Rajasthan Royals’ success in IPL 2024. RR will face Lucknow Super Giants in their opening match of IPL 2024 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on March 24.

Rajasthan Royals, who won the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008, have not been able to get their hands on the trophy since then. They finished fifth in IPL 2023, narrowly missing out on the playoff spots.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra called RR a good side, insisting that it would be a shame if they don’t qualify for the playoffs. RR signed Rovman Powell (Rs. 7.4 crore), Shubham Dubey (Rs. 5.80 crore), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Rs. 40 lakh), Abid Mushtaq (Rs. 20 lakh), Nandre Burger (Rs. 50 lakh) at the mini-auction in Dubai.

“It is a good team, there is no doubt about that. That’s why I feel it will be a highly competitive IPL. It’ll be a shame if this team doesn’t qualify for the playoffs this time as well. They have Avesh Khan as well. Is it a side that can lift the trophy? They can do that, it’s a good team,” said Chopra.

He went on to say that the Impact Player will be crucial to RR’s success in IPL 2024. RR will open their campaign against LSG before taking on Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on March 28.

“But whether they would lift the trophy or not will depend on whether they will use the Impact Player or not. The last time they said they wouldn’t use the Impact Player, that cricket used to be an 11-player game and they would play with 11 only, that they would play with six batters and five bowlers, neither would they have a sixth bowler nor a seventh batter,” Chopra added.

RR SQUAD FOR IPL 2024

Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger.