Five matches, four defeats and the pressure is mounting on Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane. Only Royal Challengers Bangalore with no points on the board have fared poorly than the inaugural winners.
In Jaipur on Sunday, a dominant Kolkata Knight Riders outclassed them with a comfortable eight-wicket win with more than six overs to spare.
More than the defeat, Rahane must be enduring sleepless nights thinking where the wickets are going to come from. Spinner Shreyas Gopal, pick of their bowlers so far, has accounted for half the wickets the team has bagged in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
Much of the talk before the contest against KKR revolved around Andre Russell and whether Rajasthan have an answer to tame the West Indian’s big-hitting prowess.
But Russell wasn’t even needed as what set up Kolkata’s win was their disciplined bowling display and a welcome return to run-scoring ways for openers Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine, both of whom have struggled for form.
Rajasthan can argue that the wicket played out a lot better during the chase. On a slow track, however, Kolkata with three quality spinners in their ranks were always going to be the frontrunners and the home side’s innings never got going despite the best efforts of Steve Smith.
But what does one say about Rajasthan’s bowling? The writing was on the wall after just two overs. Dhawal Kulkarni and Krishnappa Gowtham were too full and Narine brought back his inimitable brand of the stand-and-deliver variety.
“I think on this wicket 150-160 would have been good,” Rahane lamented after the game. “If we had runs on the board and on a slower wicket, I don’t think we bowled to our plans. Such things happen in cricket, we need to learn from our mistakes,” he added.
They have lacked bite with the ball in almost all their games. In their only win – a thriller against a struggling Bangalore – the visitors plotted their own downfall with their reticent approach.
Powerplay struggle
Certain themes are also getting a tad repetitive. Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad scored heavily. Punjab and Hyderabad in particular, feasted during the powerplay overs while Chennai were let off the hook despite losing three wickets in the first five.
Kulkarni and Gowtham have been Rahane’s go-to weapons in the first six overs and the wickets have been hard to come by. At the moment, the team is dependent on pace spearhead Jofra Archer and Gopal to come up with some magic.
Bowling attacks, though, hunt in a pack. Winning teams of the past in the IPL better illustrate how a core group, not select individuals contribute to wins.
Archer, aiming for a stunning back-door entry to the World Cup by playing for England, has been subdued so far. It is too soon to say if the Rajasthan skipper is missing a trick by not unleashing him with the new ball, but Archer has had little support from his teammates.
Adding to Rajasthan’s woes is Ben Stokes, who has not had an outing of note with the bat and ball.
Their top-order have fared reasonably well with Jos Buttler and the returning Smith, and Rahul Tripathi showing signs of good form but with no support from the bowlers, results haven’t been going Rajasthan’s way.
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium, by no means, wears the look of the fortress that it was many summers ago.
At the end of the drubbing against Kolkata, “don’t panic” was Rahane’s message to his deflated teammates.
Getting the bowling combination right early on innings can see a change in fortunes. But with four defeats in five games, they have already left themselves with too much to do for a play-offs spot.
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