Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Rajasthan Royals’ extremely young and inexperienced batting line-up could be their Achilles Heel in upcoming IPL 2026. Chopra said Dhruv Jurel has got great potential but he is yet to prove his mettle in the IPL.

After Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings, Chopra said the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal (even though he is experienced) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi are still young in their respective careers. 

“You can call it weaknesses or challenges. The batting lineup is extremely young. Yashasvi Jaiswal is experienced, but he is still young. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is hitting a lot, but he is a young kid. Dhruv Jurel has immense potential, but he is still unproven in the IPL because he hasn’t scored runs there,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

Chopra added that RR captain Riyan Parag is not yet an established player at the International level whereas Shimron Hetmyer won’t be able to bat at his preferred batting position.

“Riyan Parag has shown a lot of promise and potential, but he is not an established international star. Shimron Hetmyer is there for sure, but the number at which he batted for the West Indies isn’t available. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to play him there. Donovan Ferreira has limited international experience,” he elaborated.

The former KKR batter said RR has a lot of potential in the top six but they lack international experience, barring Shimron Hetmyer.

“When I look at the top six, a lot of potential is seen, but international experience is very, very limited, except for Shimron Hetmyer, for whom they will not be able to give the number at which he has been successful. So that is a bit of a challenge,” Chopra observed.

Riyan Parag’s team will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at Guwahati on 30th March.