Rajasthan Royals Fall to Another Defeat
Rajasthan Royals lost their second successive game in IPL 2025, while Kolkata Knight Riders won their first match this season. Royals captain Riyan Parag, in charge in the absence of Sanju Samson for the first three games, is under scrutiny for his selection. Former cricketer Simon Doull had questioned Parag's strategic choices, especially over the batting line-up.
Hetmyer's Role in Question
Doull was worried regarding Rajasthan's move to use Shimron Hetmyer at number eight, even though they had retained him for ₹11 crores. He noted that Hetmyer generally batted at number three or four in the Caribbean League.
"Why is Hetmyer batting so low? They paid ₹11 crores to retain him, but he is being treated as a finisher. In Guyana, he batted at number four. Why downgrade him in IPL? Hetmyer is a regular scorer, not merely a power-hitter. Rajasthan should play him before the impact substitute. If he does not work, then they can introduce an impact player. Their approach in the first two matches has been questionable. There needs to be a different approach. Even if Hetmyer had batted at number five or six, he would have scored more runs. Rather than employing Shubham Dube as an impact sub, they might have chosen an additional spinner," Doull said.
Struggles Against KKR Bowlers
Rajasthan was struggling at 110/6 in 15 overs against Kolkata bowlers when Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer came in. The team had an opportunity to push towards 160, but KKR mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy turned the game in their direction.
Hetmyer scored a mere 7 runs from 8 balls, scoring one boundary before being dismissed while trying a massive hit in the 19th over. Jofra Archer's late start (16 runs, 2 sixes off 7 balls) took Rajasthan past the 150-run mark, but not enough to seal a victory.
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