3 strategic changes which Rajasthan Royals should make to improve their performance
Rajasthan Royals is a team which is making a comeback into the Indian Premier League after a gap of two years. The team didn't have a great first game in this year's tournament as the Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated them comprehensively in Hyderabad.
The Royals made a royal comeback in the second game against the Delhi Daredevils. The team played its first game in Jaipur after a gap of 4 years and managed to scrape out to a victory for the home crowd in a rain-curtailed match.
Ajinkya Rahane is the captain of Rajasthan this year in the absence of Steve Smith and he has been facing a number of issues with his team. He would be looking to change a few things to get his team to perform at the level they are capable of.
#3 Use spinners in powerplay overs
Spinners in IPL are the biggest match winners for any team. Leg spinners, in particular, are of immense importance and Rajasthan has got two of them in their playing 11. Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal both are quality spinners who find a place in the team.
Shreyas Gopal, in particular, seems to be an impressive option for Rahane to ponder upon in the powerplay overs. IPL's history has always shown us that using spinners in powerplay has proved to be an effective option in both reducing the run rate as well as in picking up important wickets.
Ashwin in CSK, Narine in KKR and Washington in Rising Pune Supergiant all performed this role to perfection and were the main reasons behind their sides performing well in IPL in those years. Gopal is an attacking leg-spinner who could be used as a wicket-taking option.
In Rajasthan's first match against Hyderabad, the team gave away too many runs in the powerplay without picking many wickets. Spinners might give away few runs but they will certainly pick wickets as well.