It’s not a good time to be a Rajasthan Royals fan. A couple of weeks ago, the franchise failed to win the IPL 2024 trophy despite remaining on top for the majority of the season, and now three of their star players miss out in the IND vs PAK match. Their captain Sanju Samson, star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and highest wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal have all been benched for the blockbuster match at the Nassau Cricket Stadium.
IPL form ignored?
Although Jaiswal didn’t light the IPL 2024 on fire, Chahal and Samson were in full flow. The leg spinner was the second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise and ninth-best in the tournament. No other leg spinner had more wickets than him, but he wasn’t picked for the India vs Ireland match and missed out today as well (June 9).
Similar to Chahal, Samson was the Rajasthan Royals’ second-highest run-scorer and 5th highest run-getter in the event. It was the first season he crossed the 500-run mark and did well both as a captain and wicketkeeper.
Meanwhile, Jaiswal didn’t have the best time in IPL 2024. So, it isn’t a big shock that he wasn’t selected in the IND vs PAK match. But, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had a worse season than him and he continues to open alongside Virat Kohli.
India’s Playing XI vs Pakistan
Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.