Rajasthan Royals finished the group stage in third place and qualified for the Eliminator of the IPL 2024. But the pictures were totally different a few weeks ago. They were at the top with 16 points and five more matches to play. But they haven’t won a single game since then. As a result, they finished in third place.
They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday at Narendra Modi Stadium. If RR lose this, they will be out. Meanwhile, RCB are on a great run and have won six in a row. They are high on confidence, and every player for them is contributing. So what should RR need to do here to beat RCB? Well, we will talk about three things that RR need to take care of to get back to winning ways.
1. Bring Sanju Samson to open with Jaiswal
Your best batter should play most deliveries, and we all know what other teams are doing in the powerplay. Just like Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are doing together at the top, Sanju Samson can try to slot himself at the top. His numbers at No. 3 are pretty good, but RR are lacking with a good opening stand. So Samson should open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tom Kohler Cadmore can come at No. 3 when there is not much swing for the bowlers.
2. Attack RCB’s spinners
After looking at the current bowling unit of RCB, they don’t have a spinner like Yuzi Chahal or Ravi Ashwin. Karn Sharma, Glenn Maxwell, and Swapnil Singh are doing the job as spinners and taking wickets. Teams have not targeted these bowlers. Hence, RR should try to collect maximum runs from these spinners that can put the pacers under pressure.
3. Bring in Shimron Hetmyer for Donovan Ferreira
Shimron Hetmyer has missed the last four games, and Donovan Ferreira has replaced him in the team. But it hasn’t worked well for RR, as they have lost consecutive matches. Hetmyer is a natural hitter of the cricket ball, and when he connects, he makes sure that he adds some extra runs. Hence, RR should bring back Hetmyer in place of Ferreira or Rovman Powell in the next game.
