Rajasthan Royals wasted a golden opportunity in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League as they failed to reach the playoffs despite having one of the most well-balanced T20 squads in the tournament.
The Royals started the tournament on the right note as they won four of their first five matches and looked like a force to reckon with. However, their form dipped drastically as they lost five of their next six matches to lose their position in the first half of the table.
They had a very slim chance to qualify for the playoffs at the business end of the group stage depending on favourable results. In the end, RR finished fifth and failed to reach the playoffs.
IPL 2023 Record
Matches 14 | Won 7 | Lost 7 | Position 5th
High Point of the Season
The start of the season was probably the only high point for the Royals. After winning four out of five matches they looked like a sure-shot contender to get a place in the playoffs. Everything clicked well for them at the start as the batters were positing big totals while Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal were doing the rest of the job with the ball.
Lowest Point in the Season
In the second half, things went from bad to worse with the loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. It was a thrashing and forgettable day for RR.
Faf du Plessis’ RCB bundled them out for just 59 – the third-lowest score in IPL history. The 112-run defeat pushed Royals down in the points table and made it even more difficult for them to reach the playoffs.
Most Valuable Player
Yashasvi Jaiswal won the Emerging Player of the Year as he owned the stage in the IPL 2023. The young southpaw set the stage on fire and outshined his opening partner Jos Buttler – who is one of the best ever to play T20 cricket.
Jaiswal impressed everyone and set a few record books including the fastest half-century in IPL history – 13 balls. He ended the tournament with 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.08 including a century.
Major Disappointment
Riyan Parag turned out to be a major disappointment for RR, again. The franchise has backed the Assam cricketer over the years but apart from a couple of knocks in the past, Parag has failed to make an impact. He played seven matches this season and managed to score just 78 runs at an average of 13. Played as a finisher, Parag strike rate was also below par – 118.18.
Captaincy Verdict
Sanju Samson impressed many with his captaincy last season but it just didn’t click for him in IPL 2023. Everything was going smoothly for him after the first five games but he failed to stop the downfall which the Royals witnessed in the second half. A few of his bowling changes also came under scrutiny as he failed to find the right death bowling combination throughout the season.
Top Stats
- Most Runs: Yashasvi Jaiswal – 625 runs
- Most Wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal – 21 wickets
- Highest Individual Score: Yashasvi Jaiswal – 124 runs
- Best Bowling Figures: Yuzvendra Chahal – 4/17
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