Rajasthan Royals (RR) continue to spiral as they lose their second straight game in IPL 2025. After being walloped by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening game, RR was bettered by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second match, also in Guwahati.
RR was asked to bat first by KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and they struggled to put 151/9 on the board. Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag made notable contributions.
In response, KKR overhauled the target with little issue as Quinton de Kock made 97* and won the game with 8 wickets.
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull questioned why Shimron Hetmyer, who was paid INR 11 million for his batting ability, was placed at No. 8. Doull reminded fans that the West Indies hitter may play as high as third or fourth in the Caribbean Premier League.
“Why are you protecting Hetmyer? What was the money they retained him for? 11 crores. He batted number eight. He bats at three or four in Guyana. You can get pigeonholed into a position where, ‘Oh, he’s a finisher,’ but that’s rubbish. He’s a batter, and you’re sort of using your resources before you need to by sending in your impact sub. So some really poor planning from Rajasthan in the first couple of games. Actually, it’s been some. Some different strategies and decisions that I haven’t agreed with at all,” he said on Cricbuzz.
Doull also felt that choosing Shubham Dubey as an impact sub, who scored nine out of 12 against KKR, was a bad decision, and that he should have come in after Hetmyer and Jofra Archer.
“What if Hetmyer comes out at 5 or 6, gets some runs, and partners with Dhruv Jurel? Suddenly, you don’t need Dubey…nine from 12 is not an impact. And then Archer comes in and gets those sixes. So you can actually use Hetmyer and Archer before using your impact sub as a batter. That will allow you to bring your other spin bowler in,” he said.
Former England cricketer Nick Knight, speaking to ESPNCricinfo, expressed similar sentiments, lashing out at the way Hetmyer was used in the match against Kolkata.
“I don’t get it. I don’t get why if you sign Hetmyer….you know what you’re gonna get from him? He’s a world-class, international batsman. You’ve signed him to change the game. You’ve signed him to turn the game. You’ve signed him to make a difference. How much of a difference is he going to make if he’s just pushed down the order?” he asked.
Ambati Rayudu felt Rajasthan missed the trick by not sending Hetmyer up the order on a pitch where he could have made a difference.
“He plays spin really well, and we have seen that he plays really well on slow tracks as well. Back in the Caribbean and even in the CPL, they play on tracks that are quite similar to a few of the venues there. So I think they missed a trick there,” he said.
RR will next face CSK on March 30 in Guwahati in IPL 2025.