2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by RR in their IPL 2023 match vs RCB

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) suffered a massive blow to their playoff hopes as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) annihilated them by 112 runs in Match 60 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, May 14.

Nothing went right for the Royals, who conceded an above-par 171/5 after being asked to bowl. Adam Zampa was the only bowler to stand out, with figures of 2/25 in his four overs.

The less said about the chase, the better. Shimron Hetmyer was the only batter to score more than 10 runs as RR were bundled out for just 59, the third-lowest innings total in the history of the IPL.

Rajasthan have only one game left in the league stage, and their future isn't in their hands anymore. They will not have much time to reflect on their errors but will no doubt want to understand how things went so horribly wrong in Jaipur.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by RR in their IPL 2023 match against RCB.

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#3 Mistake - RR's batting display was nothing short of shambolic

Shimron Hetmyer was the only batter to score more than 10 runs

The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has been a bit tacky in IPL 2023. RR know that very well, given their inclination to replace Trent Boult with Adam Zampa when they play at the venue.

RCB's batters didn't find it easy to bat on in the first innings, and the wicket would've definitely gotten slower under the scorching sun in Jaipur. However, the home side's batters didn't respect the conditions at all while chasing.

Yashasvi Jaiswal played an airy drive that settled in mid-off's hands before Jos Buttler lazily fished at one wide outside off to spoon a catch to point. Sanju Samson played a terrible pull to get out, given the circumstances, while Devdutt Padikkal and Joe Root fell victim to soft dismissals.

Even after that, RR made amateur errors. Dhruv Jurel tried to take on the long boundary and perished before Ravichandran Ashwin was lethargic in his attempt to get back in his crease. Zampa played a reverse-sweep, while KM Asif hoicked one in the air.

How can so many batters be dismissed in such inexcusable fashion in one innings? It was a truly shambolic display from RR, whose net run rate took a massive nosedive.

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#2 Masterstroke - The Royals got their powerplay bowling plans right

Adam Zampa tied up Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in the powerplay

Maybe for the first six overs, RR had some semblance of control over the contest. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli were tied up in the powerplay, where the Royals employed four overs of spin.

Sandeep Sharma kept things tight and on the stumps, while Zampa didn't let the RCB openers get under the ball. The Aussie leg-spinner is one of the best in the business when it comes to yorking batters in white-ball cricket, and he forced Kohli and Du Plessis to squeeze the ball out to fielders.

RCB managed only 42 runs in the first six overs, and even that was due to the odd streaky boundary. The Royals got their powerplay bowling plans right even though they were without one of their best in the phase, Boult.

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#1 Mistake - Sanju Samson and Co. have very often played with just five bowling options in IPL 2023

Sanju Samson hasn't had too many bowling options at his disposal in IPL 2023

For some reason, despite the impact player rule, Sanju Samson has given himself only five bowling options to work with quite often in IPL 2023. Against RCB, the RR skipper had only two fast bowlers in Sandeep and Asif to call upon.

That left Rajasthan without any leeway when Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell got going. It also forced them to bowl two overs of Chahal and one over of Asif at the death. While Chahal has been decent in that phase, Asif was picked apart by a previously out-of-form Anuj Rawat.

Four of the five bowlers RR used had economy rates of more than eight, but Samson didn't have a fallback. This is an error the Royals have made throughout IPL 2023, and their position in the table reflects the cost of making it.