IPL 2018, SRH vs RR: 5 reasons why Rajasthan Royals lost

The 4th match of IPL 2018 was a clash between the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals and champions of 2016 Sunrisers Hyderabad. Fans of both the teams were excited to witness a thrilling encounter as both teams were evenly matched on paper.

However, things did not turn out as expected. Kane Williamson after winning the toss inserted the opposition in to bat. The big-hitting Aussie D’Arcy Short departed in the very first over and it was all uphill from there for the Royals.

Wickets fell at regular intervals and Rajasthan could only manage 125 runs off their allotted 20 overs. In reply, the Sunrisers cruised home, courtesy a splendid partnership between Dhawan and Williamson. Let us have a look at the 5 reasons why the Rajasthan Royals lost the one-sided contest.

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#5 Big names fail to show up

A lot was expected from the likes of D’Arcy Short, Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler by the Royals fans. All of them were bought for big bucks at the auctions with Stokes being the costliest buy.

Short had been the highest scorer in this year’s BBL and was expected to provide the fireworks at the top. However, he departed in the very first over, courtesy some brilliant fielding by Kane Williamson.

Stokes too failed with the bat. He played an irresponsible shot and holed out at long on off the bowling of Billy Stanlake. Buttler, who came on to bat at No. 6, ended up dragging Rashid Khan’s googly on to his stumps, leaving Rajasthan’s innings in tatters.

#4 Spinners' stranglehold

Both Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan are highly sought after in T20 cricket due to their ability to pick up big wickets. The duo conceded just 46 runs off their overs and picked up 3 crucial wickets.

Both of them varied their pace nicely and did not allow the Rajasthan batsmen to get away. Their tight bowling was a key reason why the Royals struggled in the middle overs.

Shakib got the important wickets of the well set Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in the 14th over, while Rashid got the big wicket of Buttler which prevented a late charge from the Royals. In the end, they could only post a below-par 125.

#3 Messed up batting order

The highly rated Rahul Tripathi who lit up the IPL last year batting as an opener was expected to give a big boost to Rajasthan’s batting order but he was inexplicably made to bat at No. 5. He failed to adjust to the new batting slot and could only muster 17 off 15 balls.

It is said that your top batsmen should bat the maximum number of overs in T20 cricket but Buttler only came to the crease in the 14th over when the ship had already sailed.

The team management of Rajasthan Royals needs to have a close look at their batting order if they have to succeed in future.

#2 Ajinkya Rahane dropping Shikhar Dhawan's catch

They say catches win you matches. Defending a small target of 125, Rajasthan needed to catch anything that came their way. However, the usually safe pair of hands of Rahane dropped a dolly in the very first over.

Dhawan was cramped for room by Kulkarni and ended up giving the simplest of catches to Rahane at slips but Rahane could not hold on. Dhawan would go on to register a sparkling fifty and the Rajasthan Royals fans were left to ponder “what if” that catch had been taken.

#1 Dhawan-Kane partnership

The ice and fire duo of Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan came together at the fall of Saha’s wicket in the 2nd over of the innings. While Dhawan went after Rajasthan’s bowling from the word go, Williamson played the supporting role to perfection.

Williamson rotated the strike nicely to allow Dhawan to dominate from the other end. The lefty-righty pair did not allow the Rajasthan bowlers to settle.

Their unbeaten 121-run partnership ensured that there were no hiccups in the chase and the Sunrisers got home with more than 4 overs to spare.