RR started this year with 2 back-to-back defeats and bounced back in the next two games. However, they were humbled by GT at Ahmedabad. RR were dominated by their neighbors and lost the match by 58 runs.
Toss factor again
Things were quite different in this IPL. The usual template of chasing any total under dew is not working. Teams chasing high totals are struggling to score runs under pressure in the second innings. BCCI has made multiple measures to nullify this dew factor.
Despite all these changes, Captains still prefer to chase. Sanju Samson did the same yesterday. He got bowlers like Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma who could have defended on a big ground like the Narendra Modi stadium. But he trusted his batters and chose to chase.
Unsuccessful bowling plan
RR’s bowling tactics today were not effective. Archer breathed fire with the new ball and uprooted the stumps of Shubman Gill, but he didn’t get much support from the other end. Fazalaque Farooqi, who was played ahead of Hasarang, couldn’t take any wickets in the powerplay.
RR could have stuck with Hasaranga at least. A leg spinner could have created a few chances, and he also adds depth to the batting line-up.
Weak middle order
RR is too dependent on their openers in every match to score big runs. Nitish Rana saved them in one match against CSK. Dhruv Jurel showed his potential in a massive chase against SRH in their first match. But other than that, the scoreboard fully depends on the performance of the top order.
Today, after Sanju’s wicket, the match was over there itself. Hetmyer entertained the audience for some time and gave them a little bit of hope to take the match closer. They are missing Buttler’s services, who used to anchor the innings till the end in such huge chases.
Without him, now the whole pressure is on Sanju Samson to take the game till the 20th over. When he fails, the game is bottled at that time itself. Players like Hetmyer need to score more such knocks like yesterday and finish the match for RR.
RR has invested 75 crores in retaining the batters, and they need to step up in crunch situations.
Also Read:GT vs RR: GT’s Terrific Win Over RR Breaks A Lot Of Records