False bravado derails RR's juggernaut to reopen wounds of 2023

As the IPL universe ponders Sanju Samson's untimely dismissal, Rajasthan Royals (RR) fans might want to switch over and think about the lines - 'Greatness requires you to play great late'. After all, the line applies to their unraveling in last night's clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC), the second half of their IPL 2023 campaign, and potentially in the ongoing season.

RR can either make their latest setback against DC all about Samson's controversial exit at the most inopportune stage of the run-chase or think of the happenings before and after his dismissal. A deep dive into the latter gives way to the side seemingly daring the devil and challenging the cricketing gods.

While playoff qualification is likely safe, the franchise's run toward a second IPL title dwindles with every momentum-killing defeat.

RR's April dreams to May nightmares

What a difference the turn of a month makes. After a triumphant April saw them win eight out of their nine outings, RR is yet to taste victory in both encounters played in May.

Yet, Sanju Samson's outfit can only blame themselves for several self-inflicted mistakes from the decision at the toss, construction of the bowling attack, and other strategies.

Why would RR disregard the trend of 'team batting first emerge victorious' at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi? In three games before the RR-DC fixture, the team that defended a score won all of them. Yet, RR went against the grain by bowling first after winning the toss and paid the ultimate price.

But this issue of 'Why fix something that ain't broke' started six games back in what may seem like an inconsequential outing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on April 13. After alternating between playing five and six specialist bowlers in a game, RR enjoyed their standout bowling performance of the season against PBKS, restricting them to a paltry 147/8 in 20 overs.

And ever since, RR has gone with the five-specialist bowlers' option in their next five outings. The result? The side has conceded three 200+ scores and another 196 in those games.

After the DC defeat, Sanju Samson said at the post-match presentation:

"220 was 10 runs extra to chase, if we had conceded a couple of less boundaries, we would have made it through. You have to give credit to someone like Stubbs who batted well against Sandeep, who has been bowling very well in the last 10-11 games, he scored 2-3 sixes extra against my best bowlers who are Yuzi Chahal and Sandeep Sharma. We have lost the game, we have to find out where we lost the game and we need to keep moving."

Sure, there is no denying the belligerence in batting from Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs. Yet, it is almost inevitable going by the record-breaking batting trend in this IPL that one or two of even the best bowlers will be taken to the cleaners.

The 20-run defeat to DC while conceding a massive 221 must be a wake-up call and cannot be brushed aside as just a controversial Samson decision working against them.

What makes it all the more baffling is RR's success and well-rounded look when they fielded six specialist bowlers for most of the first half of the season. Added to it is their ace spinner Yuzvendra Chahal going through arguably his worst phase in the IPL, which ultimately brings us to the Rovman Powell question.

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Why RR might be better off playing around than with Rovman Powell

Big-hitting finisher Rovman Powell has done wonders in leading the West Indian T20I side to relevancy again over the last year. And so when RR went all-out to acquire his services for ₹7.4 crore, there was a sense of fulfillment within their ranks, considering the overreliance on the top 3 batters over the past two seasons.

The franchise beautifully maneuvered around Powell, playing only three overseas players and having him as one of the Impact Subs. RR enjoyed tremendous freedom batting first with the knowledge of having a bonafide lower middle-order finisher in top form should they lose early wickets.

However, as it turned out, the batters fired on all cylinders in the opening few games, enabling them to use Powell as just a cushion and eventually use left-arm pacer Nandre Burger as the Impact sub. This move enabled RR to often play six high-caliber bowlers, with the duo of Burger and Trent Boult wreaking havoc on the opposition's top order in the powerplay.

An injury to Burger after four games, all of which RR won convincingly, led to Powell being a regular fixture in the playing XI since. While the 30-year-old has been far from poor, his impact hasn't quite been felt in the recent games after a couple of quick-fire cameos earlier.

After his crucial 30 in RR's thrilling win against KKR, Powell cheekily said:

"I bat number 4 or 5 for West Indies and if you think West Indies is a good T20 side, then you can push me up the order (responding to whether he keeps asking Sangakkara and Co. to promote him up the order), we have got a few days off now and I will keep ringing it in their (the management) ears."

Unfortunately, Powell hasn't helped his cause since the KKR outing. With the last two games begging to be won by the West Indies skipper, he came up short on both occasions in the final stages of RR's run-chases. If missing a full toss from Bhuvneshwar Kumar with two runs needed off the final delivery against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) was bad, the love affair with thin air in a painful 10-ball 13 against DC was worse.

Considering Burger was part of the Impact subs just a few games back after his injury, RR must try and bring him back for Powell. If not, they can also think about playing Kuldeep Sen or Keshav Maharaj, both of whom impressed with their limited opportunities.

The emergence of Shubham Dubey, with a 12-ball 25, was the silver lining in their defeat against DC. It could help RR bolster their bowling with more options and potentially use the southpaw as an Impact sub for one of the bowlers or vice-versa.

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RR flirting with the danger of IPL 2023 Deja vu

Despite the two back-to-back losses reminding RR fans of last season, their 2024 campaign has already hit greater heights without yet touching those lows. However, it must be said that the side is flirting with the danger of turning on repeat mode and tapering off at the wrong time in the tournament.

Coming off a final run the year before, RR started the 2023 season by winning four out of their first five games. Yet, no one saw the two wins in the next eight outings, resulting in elimination before the playoffs, coming.

While RR had already won eight out of nine to all but seal a playoff spot before the two successive losses, the alarm bells must have started ringing. Some of the key players - Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Yuzvendra Chahal, suddenly look short of a gallop.

And injuries to Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer only compound matters further as RR's juggernaut is on the verge of derailing. History suggests a top-two finish being paramount to holding the trophy aloft in the end, and RR has done those chances some harm with their debacle in May.

All that said, the errors in the last few games are imminently fixable if identified by the team management. Much like Ravichandran Ashwin came out of a wicket-taking slump with a three-wicket haul in the DC outing, RR will hope to turn their season back to the latter half of his last name.