Rahul Dravid highlighted RR’s struggles in bowling, finishing games, and middle-order hitting after their 10th loss in IPL 2025.
Dravid Reflects on RR’s Struggles with Balanced Perspective
Rajasthan Royals slumped to their eighth defeat while chasing this IPL season, falling short of Punjab Kings’ massive 219-run target at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Despite explosive performances like Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s match-winning knock against Gujarat Titans, RR’s campaign has largely been derailed by a string of collapses from strong positions.
Head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the team’s broader issues post-match, stressing that the blame doesn’t lie solely with the batters. “There’s no point just blaming the batsman,” Dravid said. “Even with the ball, I don’t think it was a 220 wicket — maybe 195 or 200 — and we gave 20 runs too many.” He highlighted that RR have consistently struggled to take wickets and control run flow, regularly facing targets exceeding 200.
With the absence of key bowlers like Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma, RR’s depleted attack has often left the batting lineup under immense pressure. In nine chases, only twice have they been set a target below 200, and even those were in the high-180s. Dravid noted that while RR has had some strong starts, repeated middle-order stumbles and relentless pressure from massive chases have contributed to their steep fall to ninth on the points table.
‘We just haven’t been able to click…’
Rajasthan Royals’ head coach Rahul Dravid opened up on their string of narrow defeats, acknowledging the team’s inability to close out games despite being in strong positions. “It’s been a tough one. We’ve got close, but we haven’t been able to finish the job,” Dravid said, reflecting on a season marred by missed opportunities. He emphasized that recurring issues with conceding 15–20 extra runs with the ball, and an underperforming lower-middle order, have cost RR dearly.
RR’s slump while chasing began with a final-over defeat to Delhi Capitals, failing to score 9 runs off Mitchell Starc. The trend continued against Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, where similar small chases at the death ended in heartbreak. “It’s been five games now where the margins have been just one or two hits. We haven’t been able to do that,” Dravid added. Notably, RR were only five wickets down in their latest loss, yet couldn’t find the boundary-hitters at the death.
With just pride left to play for, RR will conclude their season against Chennai Super Kings in Delhi on Tuesday, hoping to avoid finishing last and salvage something from an otherwise forgettable campaign.