Ahead of IPL 2026 playoffs, R Ashwin concerned with star RR player's dip in form, says 'I am little surprised'

Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured a playoff berth by defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 30 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash on Sunday, May 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Despite RR's finish in the top 4, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has raised concerns on Yashasvi Jaiswal's sudden dip in form.

Concerning issue for RR ahead of game vs SRH

The star RR opener kicked off the ongoing tournament in a flying fashion, as he was giving strong starts to the team with multiple big knocks. However, in the later stage of the tournament Jaiswal has struggled for a big knock despite getting strong starts.

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Reacting on the same, Ashwin has expressed his surprise on the left-handed opener's struggle while admitting that he expects a lot from the youngster. Surprisingly, Ashwin has made an interesting analogy regarding Jaiswal's recent struggles.

The former India spinner believes that the significant rise of Jaiswal's opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's in the ongoing edition has led to a negative impact on the star India batter's mindset.

"I am surprised by Yashasvi Jaiswal's performance. I am a little surprised. I had expected a lot from him, but I just have a slight inkling of a feeling that Vaibhav Suryavanshi's display might have shaken Jaiswal a bit," said Ashwin on his official YouTube Channel.

To support his theory, Ashwin cited the example of the opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra in the Test cricket. The former India all-rounder recalled that Sehwag way of batting limited Aakash to only 30s and 40s.

"If you remember Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra's opening pair in Tests, Aakash Chopra used to play really well. He gave good starts with his 30s and 40s, but the way Virender Sehwag batted, it used to almost make Aakash Chopra look invisible. But he was not. Aakash Chopra did a good job in the Australia tour," concluded Ashwin.

It will be interesting to see if Yashasvi Jaiswal can pick up his batting form, as RR will enter an important phase of the tournament, where they will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator. A loss against SRH would end RR's dream of winning the IPL 2026 season.

How has Yashasvi Jaiswal fared in IPL 2026?

Surprisingly, Jaiswal has endured a relatively quiet campaign in the ongoing IPL 2026 season, amassing only 396 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.08 with an aggressive strike rate of 159.44. The left-handed opener started the season well, before facing a mid-season dip in form. The star India opener has managed to score three half-centuries in the season, with an unbeaten 77 against MI being his highest score of the season.