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Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has strongly bashed Rajasthan Royals following the former champions' disastrous show in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025). This follows their fifth successive defeat in the ongoing IPL 2025 season which they recorded after losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 11 runs April 24. Gavaskar specifically questioned the team's overall strategy and execution during these matches, by namedropping franchise's head coach Rahul Dravid.
Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at RR
RR's recent loss to RCB further exposes their difficulties in navigating tight run-chase situations, a recurring pattern that has plagued their IPL 2025 campaign. Despite the presence of a seasoned and strategically astute leader like Rahul Dravid guiding the team, RR has seemingly struggled to implement a cohesive and effective game plan, a situation that Gavaskar finds particularly perplexing given Dravid's renowned tactical acumen.
During his analysis of the match, Gavaskar was critical in his assessment of the team's deficiencies, clearly articulating his disappointment with their performance.
“With Rajasthan Royals, I’m actually talking about the earlier matches where I wasn’t at the ground. I just saw them. So, you're not always able to get the feeling of what’s really happening. But here, I was at the ground, and you could actually see the kind of cricket that was being played. And with someone like Rahul Dravid as the coach, it was quite baffling—it was unthinking cricket," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"Dravid was always so precise in his thinking, and I would’ve thought that kind of approach would’ve seeped into some of the Rajasthan batters," he added.
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Gavaskar didn't stop there as he delved deeper into RR' performances, specifically raising concerns about the team's decision-making and strategic thinking during critical junctures of their matches.
"Where is the thought process there? You can’t expect inexperienced players to always get it right, but still... it’s just a different kind of cricket,” Gavaskar concluded.
Despite getting off to a solid starts, RR's pattern of choking in the run-chases is the main reason behind their plight in the ongoing IPL 2025. This deficiency has manifested in several heartbreaking losses in the final overs, including a Super Over defeat against Delhi Capitals and a narrow 2-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants. Their struggles in these close encounters have significantly impacted their standing in the IPL 2025 points table. Currently positioned at 8th place with a mere two victories out of nine matches played, the Rajasthan Royals' prospects of qualifying for the playoffs appear increasingly slim. Even their captain, Riyan Parag, has hinted at the possibility that the season might be irretrievably lost. RR's playoff chances are slim having already lost seven matches. They will next face Gujarat Titans (GT) in their next fixture on April 28 at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.
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