Is Yashasvi Jaiswal costing the Rajasthan Royals?
Yes, he has scored 3 half-centuries in his last four innings. Yes, the flamboyant southpaw is back among the runs. But here’s the plot twist: despite Jaiswal playing the anchor with those fifties, the Rajasthan Royals have managed to lose both games.
51 off 37 while chasing 188 against Delhi Capitals — decent, sure. Before that, a 75 off 47 against RCB while batting first — again, solid. But here's the thing: for a guy who opens the innings and gets a buffet of fielding restrictions in the powerplay, a strike rate of 138.6 across seven innings this season is… well… not exactly setting the pitch on fire.
Now, let’s hop into the time machine and head back to 2023 — The man piled up 625 runs in 14 games with a jaw-dropping strike rate of 163.6. Even in a lukewarm 2024 campaign by his standards, he still kept it spicy with a strike rate of 156.
But here's a stat so wild it deserves its own fan club: since IPL 2023, Jaiswal has struck at over 142 in the powerplays. But after the field spreads? That number nosedives to a humble 108.6. Like Cinderella after midnight, the magic seems to wear off once the restrictions lift.
To be fair, he’s still Rajasthan’s top run-getter this season. So now the million-rupee question: is Jaiswal playing the reluctant savior because the RR middle order is more fragile than a biscuit in tea? Or is his post-powerplay slow-down actually dragging the team down?
Whatever the case, the Royals need more fire, less fizzle — because at this point, Jaiswal can’t carry the whole caravan on his own, no matter how stylish the ride.
On the face of it, the Rajasthan Royals have now made it a hat-trick of losses and are languishing in the bottom half of the table. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals' dream campaign continued as they have now won 5 of their first 6 games.
