Rajasthan Royals Report Card: So near yet so far
After winning their first IPL trophy in the inaugural season, Rajasthan Royals have been waiting to get another opportunity at winning the title. The franchise looked more determined to win than ever this time around with their tactics in mega auction but unfortunately, their journey ended in final.
RR scripted a fairytale win in IPL 2008 and has been trying to replicate it in the seasons after that. Ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022, RR retained Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal to form the core of the team. Teams who failed to win the tournament in recent years had an opportunity to go with a new team combination for this season due to the mega auction. RR grabbed the opportunity and most of their buys were spot-on.
They added Devdutt Padikkal to the squad for Rs 7.75 Crore and strengthened the top-order. The team acquired the services of Shimron Hetmyer for his power-hitting and the finisher role he can play. The team gathered a world-class bowling attack as they acquired the services of two elite spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin in the squad. Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, and Nathan Coulter-Nile were going to be part of the pace unit. Navdeep Saini and Kuldeep Sen were the other Indian pacers added in the team.
With a solid batting at the top and a quality bowling attack, RR were looking to be a strong unit. They played to their potential in the tournament and entered the playoffs as expected. Sanju Samson was the captain of the ship and he will be definitely happy with the way his team delivered.
Batting - A
RR has scored 2807 runs which is the highest amongst all the teams. They have scored at an average of 165.11 runs per innings which is decent. They also have the second-highest strike rate of 138.62 and hit the most number of sixes (137) in the tournament. All these stats show that RR have been the top side in the batting department with a magnificent scoring rate and clearing the boundary ropes more often than anyone. Jos Buttler was the highest run-scorer for the team with 863 runs at 57.33 and a strike rate of 149.05.
RR batted first in 13 innings and scored 2176 runs at an impressive average of 167.38 runs per innings. Also, they won seven matches out of 13 while batting first which is a decent record. The team also have the third-most strike rate while batting first of 139.49 in spite of doing so on more occasions than any side.
Power Play - A
RR’s batting at the top has been pretty good and the stats in the powerplay indicate that. Jos Buttler was in form of his life and Yashasvi Jaiswal or Samson provided an attacking knock from other end on several occasions. They have scored 815 runs in the first six overs which is the highest count. The team also has a strike rate of 133.17 and are placed third in the list of highest strike rates in the powerplay. The team also utilised the powerplay very well hitting 37 sixes which is more than any other side.
Jos Buttler was the highest scorer in the powerplay for the franchise with 374 runs at a strike rate of 133.57.
Death Overs - B+
Shimron Hetmyer finished the game on most occasions for RR but Riyan Parag also contributed in some games. Buttler scored multiple tons this season and he also upped the tempo while batting death overs. The team had an incredible batting line-up to their aid and so a solid batter was always there for them at the back end of the innings.
RR sits atop in the list of teams with the most runs in the slog overs. They have scored 824 runs at a strike rate of 166.46. The team possesses the fifth-highest strike rate in the last four overs which is not a very good stat. They have scored 109 fours and sixes in total which is an impressive stat. Shimron Hetmyer was the leading run-scorer for the team in slog overs scoring 241 runs at a massive strike rate of 186.82.
Bowling - B+
RR had a quality four-pronged bowling attack with the inclusion of Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Two world-class spinners were playing together and the team’s bowling attack was looking lethal. RR conceded 2832 runs at an average of 166.58 runs per innings. RR leaked runs with an economy of 8.51 and stands sixth in the highest economies. They bowled highest number of dot balls (770) in the tournament.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the leading wicket-taker for the team with 27 wickets from 17 innings with an economy of 7.75.
Power Play - A
Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna used the new ball very effectively for RR. While Boult used his ability to swing the ball both ways, Prasidh Krishna troubled the batters with his pace and bounce. RR picked 28 wickets in the power play and have taken the most wickets in the mentioned phase. The team has conceded runs with an economy of 7.28 which is the lowest in the first six overs in IPL 2022.
Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult stand fourth and fifth in the list of highest wicket-takers in the powerplay with 10 wickets and these two usually restricted the opposition batters from scoring big throughout the tournament.
Death Overs - B+
RR conceded the most number of runs in the slog overs (813) from 17 innings. They registered an economy rate of 10.47 which is a modest economy as they lie in the bottom half of the table in the list of teams with highest economy rates. They are one of the only two teams to leak more than 100 fours and sixes in total along with LSG. These stats tell that the team has been average at the back end of the game but their opening spells and spinners in the middle overs bowled brilliantly.
In spite of being a spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal was the highest wicket-taker for the team at the back end with 14 wickets and he conceded only with an economy of 8.61. Obed McCoy was another bowler who was superb at death for RR picking eight wickets from just seven innings with an economy of 8.54.
RR's report card for IPL 2022 © SportsCafe Graphics TeamCaptaincy - A
The team used Shimron Hetmyer in the role of a finisher perfectly. Even using Ravichandran Ashwin as a floater worked for the team. Whenever they were in a good position, Samson’s decision to promote Ashwin worked as it increased the depth in the batting unit. Ashwin scored 115 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 147.43 including a half-century whenever he batted in the middle order. Also, another move to send Shimron Hetmyer up the order worked out for the team as he scored 205 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 165.32 at number five. Ashwin was also utilized very well in powerplay by Samson as he bowled with an economy of 7.77 and a dot ball percentage of 41 in the first six overs. All these decisions make him a wonderful leader but his flaws rate him an ‘A’ while grading in terms of captaincy.
Obed McCoy turned out to be on the expensive side but he was the wicket-taking bowler for the team whenever he played. McCoy scalped 11 wickets from seven matches but he should have got more games. Trent Boult was used in death overs on some occasions by Samson and the move turned out to be all wrong as the left-arm pacer leaked runs with an economy of 13.10 in eight innings.