Only a few weeks remain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to begin, and fans have already started to debate which opening combinations, middle-order batters, pacers and spinners they expect to shine the most. While everyone has his or her favourite, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra is banking on the duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler the most. "I feel Rajasthan's opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler is amazing. It could actually be ranked No. 1. I am saying that firstly because of Yashasvi Jaiswal's current form. It means his 600-plus IPL season is almost loading," Aakash Chopra said in a YouTube video.
"When you head into a tournament with such confidence, you bat at a different level, which he did last year as well, but will do with more maturity this year. Along with him Jos Buttler, who had a very ordinary season last year. After that, he did well in the SA20, and for how long will you keep Buttler quiet?"
Aakash Chopra felt that after the Rajasthan Royals opening pair, Chennai Super Kings openers Devom Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad can leave a big impact.
"At No. 2, I am going towards consistency. You might get more consistency from Chennai because they have Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Although Devon Conway's recent form hasn't been great, something happens to him as soon as he reaches Chennai." [3:05 onwards]
"Ruturaj Gaikwad must also be itching because he hasn't played much cricket from the last IPL until now. It could be the most consistent kind of pair. It might not be very explosive but you can keep it towards the top in terms of consistency," Chopra observed.