Parag, Samson, Jaiswal have played enough cricket...’: RR coach pulls no punches after another crushing final over loss

Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathour was a picture of disappointment following the team's narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in IPL 2025. Already eliminated from the race for playoffs, RR came close to spoiling KKR's campaign on Sunday, needing only three runs to win from the last ball after strong hitting from Shubham Dubey in the final over; however, Rinku Singh inflicted a run out on the last ball, securing a 1-run win for the Knight Riders. Rajasthan Royals' captain Riyan Parag reacts as he walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match(AFP)

This is not the first time when RR have found themselves repeatedly in winning positions only to falter at crucial moments.

“If I’m counting right, it’s the fourth game which we got into position where we should have won it, but we were unable to finish off. That’s the kind of season we’ve got so far,” Rathour said, acknowledging the team's struggle to close out games.

Despite individual players putting up good performances, Rathour was quick to dismiss the notion that inexperience had played a role in the team's struggles.

“I won’t say that, I mean Riyan (Parag), Dhruv (Jurel), Nitish (Rana), Sanju (Samson), (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, they’ve played enough cricket now to call them inexperienced.”

Instead, Rathour pointed to injuries as a major factor impacting RR’s performance. “What I would say is that injuries haven’t helped. You know, we’re missing, Sanju, we are definitely missing Sandeep (Sharma) in the team,” he added.

The batting coach’s frustrations were evident as he reflected on the team's inability to perform as a unit. "Mostly all the batters have scored runs. So they are in good form or are batting well in the net, but it hasn’t been happening collectively. And similarly in bowling, I think we’ve seen some really good spells individually, but as a group, maybe we haven’t collectively performed," Rathour said.

Fielding, too, has been an area of concern for RR. "And maybe the fielding hasn’t helped a great deal. So yeah, it’s a lot of things that didn’t go our way actually this season, a lot of areas to focus on and get better at," he said.

No lack of motivation

Rathour remains confident that motivation will not be an issue for his players in the final games of the season. "When you’re playing, I think, the best league in the world, that should be motivation enough. Every game is an opportunity to show your skills, how good you are, and you’re competing against these world-class bowlers. So I think everybody’s motivation should never be an issue, and you’re playing in IPL, whether you qualified or not," he stated.

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