IPL 2023 recap: Rajasthan Royals falter after dream start
Rajasthan Royals (RR), the runners-up of the 2022 Indian Premier League season, made a dream start to their campaign last season. They faltered in the second half and eventually missed the playoff berth. Sanju Samson impressed with his captaincy, guiding the Royals to successive wins. However, RR couldn't maintain their momentum. Besides, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal were the stars of their campaign.
RR win seven games
RR finished the league stage in fifth place with seven wins in 14 matches (NRR: +0.148). Samson and his troops made an excellent start, winning four of their first five matches. They were once the table-toppers. The tide turned, and the Royals managed a solitary win in their next five games. They failed to win successive games, which cost them the playoff ticket.
Third-lowest total in IPL history
RR were required to win their league stage's penultimate match, against RCB, in order to boost their chances of qualifying. However, the Royal Challengers handed them a crushing nine-wicket defeat. They bundled out RR for just 59, their second-lowest innings total in IPL history. Overall, this was the third-lowest by any team in the cash-rich league. The defeat gave RR's campaign a major dent.
Breakout season for Jaiswal
Young opener Jaiswal played a pivotal role for RR in 2023. He smashed 625 runs from 14 matches at a staggering strike rate of 163.61. Jaiswal became the first uncapped Indian player to touch the 600-run mark in an IPL season. He also broke Shaun Marsh's record for scoring the most runs by an uncapped player in a season.
Chahal strikes at crucial junctures
For the second straight season, leg-spinner Chahal finished as RR's highest wicket-taker. He snapped up 21 wickets from 14 games at an average of 20.57. He was the only bowler to record more than two four-wicket hauls in the season. Besides striking for the Royals at crucial junctures, Chahal also became the all-time leading wicket-taker in IPL history (187 scalps).
Samson, Buttler complement Jaiswal
RR's batting line-up was majorly carried by their top four in IPL 2023. While Jaiswal made merry with the bat, his opening partner Jos Buttler and skipper Samson complemented him. Buttler, who shared several pivotal opening stands with Jaiswal, scored 392 runs, including four half-centuries. Meanwhile, Samson slammed 362 runs at a strike rate of 153.39 (three fifties).
Decoding RR's weaknesses
RR were let down by their lower middle order. Shimron Hetmyer and Devdutt Padikkal fared well, but the finishing lacked. All-rounder Riyan Parag averaged just 13.00 with the bat and didn't take a wicket. While Trent Boult was a plus in the Powerplay, no other RR bowler than Chahal took over 15 wickets. Although Samson remained composed throughout, he couldn't hold RR together.
