Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack lacks depth.
Overview
Franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) succumbed to their second consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL) on Wednesday, March 27, as they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, in Guwahati.
After being asked to bat first, the Rajasthan batters failed to gauge the slowness of the pitch as the KKR spinners bowled with a lot of control in favourable conditions. The batters who got starts could not capitalise as the inaugural champions finished on a below-par total of 151/9 in their 20 overs. The Knight Riders raced to victory with eight wickets and 15 balls to spare on the back of Quinton de Kock’s exhilarating 97 not out off 61 balls.
Jofra Archer, who registered the worst bowling figures (0/76) in the previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, gave away 33 runs in 2.3 overs on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Wanindu Hasaranga erred in his lines and lengths to concede 34 runs in his three overs while taking the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane. The RR bowlers could not use the conditions to their advantage as KKR notched up a comprehensive win.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Match 7, SRH vs LSG Match Prediction
Robin Uthappa questions Rajasthan’s auction strategy
Robin Uthappa said that Rajasthan missed a few tricks in the mega-auction, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year. The cricketer-turned-expert mentioned that the Royals’ bowling lineup looks thin and is heavily reliant on Sandeep Sharma and Archer. Uthappa noted that the England seamer has suffered multiple injuries in recent times and will need some more time to fire on all cylinders.
“They’ll need to reflect on their auction strategy and analyse what they might have missed. But hindsight is a luxury they don’t have right now. Their bowling attack seems a bit thin, relying heavily on Sandeep Sharma and Jofra Archer. However, it’s important to consider that Jofra Archer is returning to regular cricket after a hiatus of over two and a half years. He has endured multiple injuries and other challenges that have taken a toll on his body. That inevitably affects a player’s mental makeup and self-confidence. There’s a lot to unpack here,” Uthappa said while speaking on JioStar.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s shot selection criticized
Furthermore, Robin Uthappa felt that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who threw his wicket away in the ninth over after getting himself to 29, should have read the conditions better and tried to bat deeper into the innings.
“This was an opportunity for him to take on the responsibility and guide his team through. He was a set batter on a pitch that wasn’t the easiest for batting. When I say that, I mean in comparison to the high-scoring surfaces we see today, especially with the impact player rule allowing teams to field up to eight specialist batters, plus an all-rounder, effectively giving them nine batting options. With that depth, batters have the freedom to attack, but reading the conditions and match situation is crucial. Unfortunately, Yashasvi didn’t do that today,” the former India cricketer concluded.
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