Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
Rajasthan Royals have commenced their 2020 campaign of the Indian Premier League with successive victories. Contributions of foreign internationals are instrumental for a side’s success in the tournament. However, the franchise has secured four points without any significant contribution from Jos Buttler and in the absence of Ben Stokes.
The Royals have proven their mettle with the willow, totaling massive scores in both the encounters. Their team was deemed to be reliant on the performances of their overseas stars more than anyone else.
However, as domestic players stepped up the gear, their fortunes appear to be much brighter currently. Taking to Twitter, Shane Warne exclaimed, “The 2020 @IPL has a similar feel to 2008. Win all close games and chase down huge scores!” As of now, they cannot seem to put a foot wrong. Rahul Tewatia pulled off a heist against Kings XI Punjab whereas Steven Smith has donned the anchor role up-top proficiently so far.
The question is; how long can Rajasthan actually sustain such performances to enhance their chances of attaining a qualification to the playoffs? The IPL is a comprehensive competition that clearly tests the temperament and consistency of teams. Managing to extend a positive momentum gained early on in the season is one of the vital components that drive the success of the triumphant sides.
Given the start that they have had, it wouldn’t be unsurprising for the RR faithful to harbor hopes of an encouraging campaign this time around. There might be a few concerning factors that they should be looking to address, though.
Royals strolled through the first two games due to Samson’s brilliance with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batsman was sublime and took the game away from the opposition in the middle-overs of the game. It seems that he has been locked in at the number three slot for the ongoing season. RR have played both of their matches in Sharjah. The ground’s dimensions are smaller, more favourable to batsmen and the ball has often gone sailing over the ropes over there.
162 sixes have been notched in 11 IPL matches so far, wherein a whopping 62 of them were recorded in the two games that RR played. Rajasthan themselves have bagged 35 maximums in their two innings so far, with Samson having 16 of them to his name. As of now, the number of sixes scored in Dubai and Sharjah is 11.11 per game, which boils down to a modest 5.55 in each innings. That is almost three times lesser than 31 sixes per match in two encounters that taken place in Sharjah.
Both of RR’s victories so far have come in moments when the game has turned around in the matter of an over. After an initial boost, CSK had curtailed them down to possibly restrict the Royals to a 195-200 total in the first game. However, Jofra Archer smoked four maximums in the final over off Lungi Ngidi to completely turn the tides around to his team’s advantage. Chennai still managed to get to 200 eventually, displaying that Archer’s eventual onslaught was the decisive game-changer.
Second time around, Rahul Tewatia cleared the ropes five times in Sheldon Cottrell’s over to completely change the course of the game. Right until then, KXIP held the upper hand despite Samson’s flawless knock in the middle phase. In some ways, it can be safely said that though the batsman from Kerala has set up the base for his team on both occasions commendably well, it has been the flourishing moments in the final stages of the two matches that aided them gain an edge over the opponents.
In two matches at Sharjah so far, spinners have conceded runs at 10.71 runs per over. Royals themselves have recorded 10.67 runs in each over against a tweaker, taking the duo of Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja to 95 runs in eight overs combined against CSK. In the other nine games, spinners have delivered at an economy rate only of 7.87 runs/every over. Slower bowlers have notched scalps on a regular interval at the other two venues too, thus demonstrating that Royals’ approach in the middle-overs might need a relook.
They went berserk in this phase in the initial two games. Going ahead, run-scoring and boundary-hitting is bound to be not as convenient as in the matches so far for Rajasthan. This is where the lack of steel and dynamism in their batting order is evident. As Stokes is away from the team, Royals really lack a reliable batter to guard the 5-7 positions. Robin Uthappa hasn’t looked in touch yet. Buttler, Smith and Samson hold the key upfront but their efforts could falter away in the lack of a formidable player at the centre of the batting lineup.
The blinders that Archer and Tewatia produced with the bat against CSK and KXIP respectively aren’t going to be a regular occurrence at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Rajasthan will require the likes of Samson to play throughout the innings maybe, sans the six-feast that the side relished so far. It remains to be seen whether Tewatia can man the middle-order consistently enough in the coming days.
He seemed to be hitting the ball well but to work the ball around smartly and steer through the end will require different skills, especially to do it consistently over the next 12 games. Riyan Parag’s mettle will be tested too as he readies to don a more responsible role this time around. Royals look to be a quality batsman short currently. David Miller hasn’t really been convincing enough in recent years for RR to expect him to shoulder Stokes’ role with the willow. Hence, their tackling of this area will be interesting to witness.
With the ball, Smith has smartly moved Jaydev Unadkat to bowl with the new ball. However, that has had little effect on the pacer’s overall returns as he has been wicket-less with an economy rate of 10.57 so far. Archer continues to be their safest bet, but the Englishman will require reliable support from the other bowlers too. Tom Curran has conceded runs at 12.25/each over, which signifies that his shortcomings will be pounced upon in case the opposition adopts a pragmatic approach towards Archer.
The dimensions of the other two venues will put Shreyas Gopal at advantage. The leg-spinner was underwhelming in the first two games. However, his googlies will come of use in a packed leg-sided field at big grounds. Gopal can be banked upon to dismiss a few batsmen as they look to increase the scoring rate in the middle-overs. Tewatia’s role with the ball might need an assessment. He flourished against CSK but was taken off after a solitary poor over against KXIP. RR might not always play with an extra bowler as they did in the previous match.
Parag will provide a backup alternative on occasions. Overall, Rajasthan’s bowling has notable chinks in the armour that can be thoroughly exploited by the adversaries. It is their batting that will have to continue the stellar level of performances that they have displayed so far. Buttler’s return is a major boost, so is Smith’s evolving perspective towards T20 batting. If Samson moulds his game from being a compulsive six-hitter that he was in the last two games to an individual who will take their weakened middle-order along in testing situations, Rajasthan Royals can spring a surprise in IPL 2020.
However, the unit is not as flawless as it appeared to be until now.
Written by Tarkesh Jha. Follow Tarkesh on Twitter today.
