Rajasthan Royals have gotten off to a subpar start in the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Led by Riyan Parag, the inaugural champions have gone on to lose their first two matches of the tournament. Royals took on Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in their first two games of the competition and sustained losses in both games.
In both matches, star batter Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to propel his side to a good start. In his recent game against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, Jaiswal looked set on the crease, but he failed to convert his start into a big total, as he departed on a score of 29 runs in 24 deliveries.
Speaking of the game, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa took centre stage and slammed Jaiswal for not taking responsibility and propelling Royals towards a big score.
“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,” Uthappa told JioHotstar.
It is interesting to note that Royals made some questionable changes ahead of the mega auction. The side let go of the likes of Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult ahead of the event, and the gaps in their squad are evidently visible in the 2025 season.
They conceded 286 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first game of the season and went on to lose the subsequent clash against Kolkata Knight Riders as well. With a clash against CSK approaching, RR will hope to heavily improve and register their first win.