"He reminds me a little of Suryakumar Yadav" - Aakash Chopra picks Shashank Singh among Punjab Kings players to watch out for in IPL 2024 clash vs RR

Aakash Chopra has chosen Punjab Kings (PBKS) middle-order batter Shashank Singh as one of their players in focus in their IPL 2024 clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Wednesday, May 15. He noted that the Chhattisgarh player, much like Suryakumar Yadav, is a late bloomer.

With eight points from 12 games, PBKS are last on the points table. Although they are already out of the playoff qualification race, Punjab would want to win their remaining two league games to avoid finishing with the wooden spoon.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Shashank as the first Punjab Kings player to watch out for in Wednesday's game and opined that he might soon come in contention for a place in India's T20I side.

"Which three players can we focus on? The first is Shashank Singh because he is a very good player and the focus is always on him. The way he is batting, there will be a time when you will consider him for the Indian team," he said (11:50).

"He is not a 22 or 25-year-old. He is a fairly senior guy in terms of age. He has that much domestic experience and now he is just blooming. He reminds me a little of Suryakumar Yadav. His career also ascended similarly. So Shashank Singh is the first player," the former India opener added.

Shashank is the Punjab Kings' highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. The right-handed batter has smashed 352 runs at a strike rate of 168.42 in 12 innings this season.

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"The bowlers have started bowling short balls in the last few games and he has been found wanting a little" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' Ashutosh Sharma

Ashutosh Sharma has aggregated 170 runs at a strike rate of 171.71 in seven innings in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra chose Ashutosh Sharma as the second Punjab Kings batter in focus against the Rajasthan Royals.

"The second - I am thinking about Ashutosh Sharma because Ashutosh has also gone off the boil. He was batting incredibly well in some matches where he was even lap-sweeping (Jasprit) Bumrah but the bowlers have started bowling short balls in the last few games and he has been found wanting a little," he reasoned (12:25).

The renowned commentator reckons Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada will be the key bowlers for PBKS in Guwahati.

"Spin will not have a big role on this pitch. So I am not looking towards Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar. But then, you have got Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada. I am not going towards Harshal Patel because there will be dew and the slower ones might not work that much. However, if Rabada and Arshdeep Singh bowl well, they can stop the opposing team," Chopra explained.

With 16 scalps in 12 games, Arshdeep is PBKS' second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024, behind only Harshal Patel (20). Rabada has picked up 11 wickets in as many games but wasn't part of the franchise's playing XI in their previous game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).