JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals have found a reliable opener in Yashasvi Jaiswal and a finisher in Dhruv Jurel. While these youngsters have got everyone talking about their talent and possibilities, it barely hides the struggle of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson.
The mainstays of the Royals playing XI have not only been overshadowed by the youngsters, but importantly, they have failed to make their presence felt. With the league stage nearing its end and the fight for the playoff berth getting stiffer, lack of substantial contributions from the seasoned campaigners might upset Royals' plans.
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After starting the season with three fifties in four games, it looked like last year’s highest run-scorer Buttler continued from where he had left off. But his struggles in the last five games, which includes two ducks, is an indication of a slump in the English batter’s form or it is a hiccup he will soon be able to overcome.
So far in nine matches the Royals' opener has scored 289 runs at a strike rate of 138.94. At this stage of the IPL 2023, he is nowhere close to his aggressive and dominating self of the previous season.
To complicate the matter, Royals captain Samson does not have great figures which could justify his talent. His inconsistency in scoring runs will not only hurt his chances of playing for India, but can also hurt his IPL team’s performance on days when other batters are having an off day. So far, in nine games he has mustered 212 runs. He has a fairly healthy strike rate of 150.35, but an unflattering average of 23.56. Samson is yet to lead from the front.
With competition getting tighter, Royals would expect their star batters to show up in full force when they next meet Gujarat Titans in their backyard at the SMS Stadium on Friday.
Table-topper Titans with 12 points and fourth-placed Royals with 10 points in nine matches, are coming into the game with a loss in their previous outings. But the hosts have pleasant memories from their last meeting with the Hardik Pandya outfit in Ahmedabad when they defeated them by three wickets.
This might give Samson & Co a psychological edge, but a team like Titans- with a lot of fire-power, can never be taken lightly. While both teams look equally-matched in the bowling department, Titans’ middle-order seems to carry more weight with the presence of proven hitters like David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan.
Stopping them in their stride will be quite a task and Royals will hope Yuzvendra Chahal returns to his economical best after leaking over 10 runs per over in three out of four games that he last played.
