Rajasthan Royals (RR) are officially out of the IPL 2025 playoff race after a crushing 100-run defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur. With just three wins in eleven matches, questions are now being raised about their planning and squad building ahead of the season.
Experts Point to Strategic Missteps
Cricket analysts Aakash Chopra and Abhinav Mukund believe the Royals’ downfall can be traced back to a flawed retention and auction strategy. On ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out, Chopra strongly criticized RR’s decision to allocate a massive ₹79 crore to retain six players: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma.
Meanwhile, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Avesh Khan—cornerstones of RR’s previous campaigns—were let go and not bought back.
“They retained Hetmyer as the only overseas batter and went with an all-Indian top order. That’s a huge risk when your most experienced batter is Samson,” said Chopra. “Where’s the senior figure in the lineup like Buttler who could steady the ship?”
Overpaying for Jurel and Hetmyer?
Chopra argued that Dhruv Jurel (₹14 crore) and Shimron Hetmyer (₹11 crore) were overvalued.
“I don’t think either of them would’ve fetched those prices at the auction. That’s ₹25 crore tied up. Even if they were worth ₹17 crore combined, you’re still losing ₹8 crore you could’ve spent on bowlers.”
While RR did buy Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana, none of them had an impactful season. Archer took 10 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 9.66, and the rest struggled to leave a mark.
A Broken Bowling Attack
Abhinav Mukund added that RR lacked a well-rounded bowling lineup. Not retaining bowlers like Chahal, Ashwin, and Boult hurt the team balance.
“Last season, they had five reliable bowlers. This year, only Sandeep remained. They bought Tushar Deshpande for ₹6.5 crore but didn’t even play him regularly. You can’t compete in the IPL without a core bowling unit.”
He also criticized the purchase of Nitish Rana (₹4.2 crore) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (₹1.1 crore), both of whom failed to make any real impact.
Allrounder Slot Left Empty
Despite the Impact Player rule, RR lacked a sixth bowling option, which further exposed them on off days.
“Riyan Parag bowled a few overs, but is he a reliable sixth bowler? No,” Chopra said. “They didn’t address the need for an allrounder, which left the team without a safety net in either department.”
Final Verdict
The Rajasthan Royals appear to have undervalued experience and bowling depth in favour of an all-Indian youthful core and a single overseas batting anchor. While this gamble may pay off in rare cases, in the long grind of the IPL, a lack of balance, senior leadership, and dependable bowlers can sink even the most promising squads.
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