Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes all eyes will be on young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when Rajasthan Royals take on Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 clash in Ahmedabad on Saturday 4th. Sooryavanshi lit up the tournament opener with a breathtaking 17-ball 52 to lead Rajasthan Royals to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings. His fearless strokeplay has already made him one of the most talked about players this season, but Chopra believes the opposition bowlers will be ready with concrete plans to counter him. Chopra hinted on his YouTube channel that the Gujarat bowlers are likely to test the youngster with short deliveries and wider lines. “All eyes will be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, how the guy will play. He will be tested. The way he swings the bat, the bouncers will definitely be throwing against him. I think the bouncers will be a threat,” said Chopra. He further explained that the bowlers could use the off-stump areas as well. “Then they might go a bit wide to him and ask him to hit sixes over cover. He didn’t hit sixes over cover. There is a chance of him being caught in deep cover. So the bowling can be done in two areas,” he added. Chopra also felt Rajasthan Royals were unlikely to tinker with a winning combination after their clinical start to the season. After dismissing Chennai Super Kings for just 127 and chasing the target with 47 balls to spare, RR seem well settled. “There are not many questions about this team. The last match was a perfect match. They stopped Chennai for 127 and won easily. So I don’t think there is room for too many changes,” he noted. Turning his attention to Gujarat Titans, Chopra emphasized the importance of them consistently delivering on the top orders. He highlighted the performances of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jose Buttler and stressed that the trio must repeat their previous performances. “The top three will have to score runs again. All three are absolutely outstanding. So you expect them to do what they did last season, but what about Nos. 4 to 6? Spin will play against Glenn Phillips, be it Ravindra Jadeja or Ravi Bishnoi,” he said. Chopra also raised questions about Gujarat’s middle order and team balance, hinting at a potential personnel overhaul. He wondered if Kumar Kushagra could replace Shahrukh Khan while pointing out his stunning comebacks in recent years. “Then Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan. Maybe think about Kumar Kushagra. I checked the total money that Shahrukh Khan got in the last five years. Money is not an issue, but the performance was not great. He is still acting,” remarked Chopra. On the bowling side, Chopra questioned whether Kagiso Rabada could make way for Jason Holder after an expensive outing, while suggesting better use of Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. “Kagiso Rabada was expensive in the last match. Are you going to think about Jason Holder because you bought him for so much money? Can you bowl Prasidh Krishna a bit earlier? Can you bowl Mohammed Siraj till the end?” he specified. Finally, Chopra pointed out that Ashok Sharma will also be in the limelight. Temper, who was part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025 but was not retained, now faces his former side in what could be a keenly watched sub-plot in the competition.
