As the Indian Premier League heads towards the business end, a few patterns are emerging. Teams have chased better than they have defended. Pitches have tended to get slower at some venues. Spinners are coming into the picture more often. And Rajasthan Royals seem to be losing the steam they began their campaign with. Table toppers at one stage, they are fourth at the moment with four defeats in their last five matches.
This is somewhat unexpected, considering that on paper, they are one of the best-balanced sides, with all bases covered. Top-order batting, middle order, the finishing part, fast bowling, variety in spin bowling – there is everything. And they made that count in the beginning, winning four of their first five matches. Everyone thought: Wow, here is the team to watch. They were that good in that part of their campaign.
Then began the downslide. Losing close games, conceding big defeats, the champions of the inaugural edition have experienced everything. They are still in the reckoning as far as reaching the playoffs is concerned, but if this continues, they will not be. Of the four teams with 10 points, their net run rate is the best at present. But if the trend of throwing away the advantage continues, they might well be staring at something they do not want to.
What has caused this? That is the question. One must say that their costliest buys, who are expected to score the bulk of the runs, are not doing their job. Jos Buttler is having a very, very mediocre season, Shimron Hetmyer is not quite doing his task, which is to finish things off, and Devdutt Padikkal is fizzling out after promising starts.
Sanju Samson, their captain and key middle-order batter, is downright inconsistent. It’s unfair to single out one in a team game, but when you are the leader, the focus is bound to be on you. Sanju, an extremely precious talent, comes under the spotlight for that reason. There are not many players who do not play for India on a regular basis that lead an IPL side. Sanju is an exception in that sense. His franchise has shown faith in him and given him that responsibility. The boy from Kerala has not been able to live up to that yet. A fantastic stroke-maker, he lacks consistency.
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And this is a problem of temperament. Talent he has, but does he have what else is needed to convert that into something more substantial? That is the test for Sanju. He has been given the dual responsibility of leading the side and being one of their principal batters. That is a lot and so far, Sanju has failed to deliver in terms of coming good on a regular basis. He plays one or two exceptional shots in almost every innings, and then gets out. This is something he must address.
Buttler has been a massive letdown this season. The team expects quick runs from him early on in the innings, either batting first or second. But he has played second fiddle to Yasashvi Jaiswal on most occasions. He is one player who is supposed to make the difference, as he did while winning the Orange cap last season. Going by what has been seen so far, the man who is arguably the world’s best white-ball batter has not been able to get going in the true sense of the term. There is time still, but it might be running out as well.
The bright side for the Royals is the performance of their bowlers. Yes, they failed to defend 212 against Mumbai Indians, but there is spark and variation in that department. Left-arm pace, right-arm pace, off-spin, leg-spin and other turns – there is enough ammunition. They will have to rely on their attack to stabilise what has suddenly become a wobbly campaign. Will they be able to do it? They will certainly need support from the batting wing. Unless that happens, nobody knows which way this topsy-turvy campaign will go.