New Delhi, May 21 -- Former India tearaway Varun Aaron was "surprised" by Rajasthan Royals' decision not to begin with right-arm seamer Akash Madhwal, who fired off a Player of the Match performance with his scorching spell against Chennai Super Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League.

Uttarakhand's Madhwal was thrown into the mix for Rajasthan's last four fixtures after losing its mainstay Sandeep Sharma to injury. He returned with a scalp in his first three matches but shone in the Royals' last game of their shambolic campaign.

He broke the backbone of Chennai's middle-order and cleaned up Dewald Brevis with a touch of late swing. In the final over of the first innings, Madhwal kept a check on...