IPL 2019: What is ailing Rajasthan Royals?
After playing 10 games in IPL 2019, the Rajasthan Royals have managed to win just three. They are in second last position on the IPL points table, and with only four games left, the chances of them getting into the top four are highly improbable.
The last game against the Delhi Capitals saw them losing even after posting a commendable 191 on board. It's a rare sight when a team loses after a batsman scores a century for them. Despite a sparkling 63-ball 105 from Ajinkya Rahane, they were able to score only 41 runs from the last 5 overs.
When Delhi came out to bat, none of the RR bowlers posed any threat to them. While their ace bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Jofra Archer remained wicketless, Dhawal Kulkarni and Shreyas Gopal gave away 98 runs from their 8 overs.
Lack of bench strength hurting Rajasthan Royals
Unlike other teams, the Rajasthan Royals don't have an overseas all-rounder on the bench to seek out as a replacement for Ben Stokes or Ashton Turner.
Turner has turned out to be a complete disaster for the Royals. He has registered three consecutive golden ducks in his first three matches, and hasn't been useful with the ball either. Effectively, he has made the Rajasthan Royals play as a 10-member team.
Even though Stokes has been taking wickets occasionally, the runs are just not coming from his bat. In a couple of last over thrillers he even ended up as a villain for his franchise with the ball - he gave away 17 runs in the last over against KXIP and 21 runs against CSK.
What can they do now?
One possible option for them is to use Shubham Ranjane in place of Turner. Ranjane is known to turn the ball sharply and is also capable of batting well lower down the order. In a recent Ranji Trophy game against Baroda, he took three wickets and scored a half-century in the same innings.
Time is running out for Rajasthan Royals, and they can't afford to waste any more time trying to find their best team combination.
Ideal Playing XI: Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith (C), Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Riyan Parag, Shubham Ranjane, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL purple cap 2019, points table, schedule, news, live scores, orange cap and fantasy tips.