NEW DELHI: After Rajasthan Royals (RR) suffered a five-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Mike Hesson, the former Director of Cricket and Coach for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), didn't mince words in his assessment. He criticised RR's performance, suggesting they need to revisit the fundamentals of their game.
In the ongoing IPL 2024 season, RR has been struggling, having lost four consecutive matches. Despite starting strong with eight wins out of thirteen matches, their recent form has raised concerns.
With a total of 16 points, they currently occupy the second spot, but their recent string of losses has cast doubts on their ability to maintain their position.
Hesson's comments likely reflect the frustration of watching a team with potential underperforming. Going back to basics often implies focusing on fundamental skills, strategies, and team dynamics, which might have been neglected amidst their recent struggles.
RR may need to regroup, analyze their weaknesses, and make necessary adjustments to regain their winning momentum in the IPL.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, Hesson said the same thing is happening for the Royals every year where they lose form at the end of the tournament.
"It has happened every year. Every year when we are seven or eight games through, we are like, 'RR are the team to beat!' Every year for the last three years, they have got to that point and all of a sudden, they have gotten quite funky. They lose one, have a bit of a confidence drop, lose a couple, then they start to look over their shoulder and overthink things. I think that's the issue at the moment. They just need to go back to the basics and go back to everyone doing their job and standing up," Hesson was quoted in a release from Jio Cinema as saying.
In the match, RR won the toss and opted to bat first. However, RR faced early setbacks, losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite this, contributions from Riyan Parag, who scored 48 runs off 34 balls, embellished with six fours, and Ravichandran Ashwin's knock of 28 runs off 19 balls, including two fours and a six, propelled RR to a total of 144/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
PBKS's bowling attack, led by skipper Sam Curran with figures of 2/24, supported by Rahul Chahar (2/26) and Harshal Patel (2/28), kept the RR batsmen in check and restricted their scoring opportunities.
In the chase, PBKS found themselves struggling at 48/4 initially. However, a resilient half-century from skipper Sam Curran, who remained unbeaten on 63 runs off 41 balls, comprising five fours and three sixes, turned the tide in PBKS's favor. With contributions from Curran and other batsmen, PBKS secured a crucial five-wicket victory with seven balls to spare.
Avesh Khan emerged as the top bowler for RR, returning figures of 2/26. Despite this defeat, PBKS displayed resilience, moving to the ninth spot in the standings with five wins and eight losses, accumulating a total of 10 points in the IPL 2024 season.
(With ANI inputs)
