Despite having an overall balanced side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Rajasthan Royals (RR) failed to qualify for the playoffs and were the 2nd team to be eliminated from the playoffs race.
The inaugural IPL edition champions lost the plot during tight run-chases – a problem that lasted all throughout the season for them. In most of the matches, Rajasthan Royals had started off well in the Powerplay but their dominance and momentum fizzled out with the passage of time.
Rajasthan Royals has had a forgettable season and the absence of their regular skipper Sanju Samson due to a finger injury, aggravated the problems at the camp.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Rajasthan Royals are losing close encounters in IPL 2025:
1. Overdependence on the Top-Order
All throughout the season, Rajasthan Royals were overtly dependent on their top-order and that resulted in the middle-order, being fragile. Despite having some big names in the middle-order, the entire pressure fell on the top-order of the IPL 2008 champions.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was the sole performer for Rajasthan as he sparkled with rhythm and rhyme throughout the season in IPL 2025.
2. Fragile Middle-Order
There were a few templates, that were visible during the run-chases of Rajasthan Royals. After the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana got out, the entire pressure fell on the middle-order.
The likes of Shimron Hetmeyer and Dhruv Jurel flattered to deceive in the tournament and didn’t fire on all cylinders, towards the end of the innings.
3. Absence of All-Rounders
Rajasthan Royals weren’t equipped with a lot of all-rounders. The Impact Player in the form of Shubham Dubey didn’t quite have a good season and the entire pressure fell on the upper-middle order of the team.
The lack of all-rounders highlighted the chinks in the armoury of Rajasthan Royals and this was a major concern for them.
