Rajasthan-Royals. (Photo source: IPL)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) had their worst performance in an IPL season since being readmitted to play in 2018. In the 18th edition of the league, despite having a strong batting core, especially in the top order, RR not just failed to qualify for the playoffs, but finished their tournament with just four wins and 10 losses in their 14 matches.

Given the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, , and Riyan Parag, one would have expected a better performance from the inaugural champions. However, not everything was fine in the Royals lineup, which was evident in the way they lost some of their matches despite having total control of the same.

The reasons for their losses could be attributed to a lot of factors. Especially in run chases, RR had the upper hand in most of their games, only to lose it out of nowhere due to fundamental mistakes. There are mainly five reasons that led to RR not performing well after qualifying for the playoffs in the 17th edition of the league.

5 things that went wrong with RR in the IPL 2025 1. Poor mega auction Jofra-Archer. (Photo source: X)

Rajasthan Royals had shortcomings in the auction. They trusted Jofra Archer to be their prime bowler, whose form was a concern. Credits where due, Archer came good. However, his partners at the other end failed to claim wickets in the Powerplay overs, which allowed the batters to play Archer out and go after others.

RR went after the Sri Lankan spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. A better option could have been emerging Indian spinners, which would have allowed them to pick overseas players to fulfil tougher roles. They did not buy a strong finisher and a death bowler to complement the existing lineup.

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2. Constant changes in batting order Nitish Rana Batting (Source: Surjeet Yadav/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Royals did not have a fit Sanju Samson for all of their games. When he could not keep wickets, Riyan Parag was named the skipper. Due to his injury, Vaibhav Suryavanshi got a chance to debut, which was a blessing in disguise. However, RR employed strange tactics of playing Nitish Rana at 3 if Jaiswal got out early and Riyan Parag if Samson got out early.

While the left-right hand combination of batters is an interesting debate, assigning roles to the batters would have given them better clarity and confidence in their abilities. Dhruv Jurel, a natural finisher, was asked to anchor the innings most of the times, which indirectly cost them some matches.

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3. Poor bowling attack by default Wanindu Hasaranga. (Source:IPL/X)

The bowling attack of the Royals was not good. While Archer bowled well in the Powerplay, everything fell apart after that. His supporting bowlers at the other end kept on changing. Wanindu Hasaranga claimed wickets in some matches and failed in others. At the other end, there were lack of wicket-taking options in the middle overs.

They did have the option of Sandeep Sharma for the death overs. To support him at that stage of the innings, the inaugural champions did not have a good option. RR did not play Akash Madhwal enough, who came into the side when their chances of qualifying became near-zero. These were additional faults in how RR went about their tactics.

4. Poor batting form of designated finishers Dhruv-Jurel-and-Shimron-Hetmyer. (Photo source: X/IPL)

RR's designated finishers in the season were Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Jofra Archer. None of them were good for the Royals, as they failed to finish many matches for their side. Hetmyer, who has been one of the best finishers in the last few seasons, failed to perform, which impacted RR's performance badly.

Dubey, who had a great domestic season, could not live up to the expectations, barring the match against KKR, where he took the 2008 champions close to winning the match. Hasaranga and Archer were fine in the chances they got to bat. But Jurel, as a designated finisher, would have made a better case for himself and the Royals.

5. Inability to complete regulation run chases Vaibhav-Arora-and-Jofra-Archer. (Photo source: Getty Images)

RR lost some of their matches after being in dominant positions in run chases. In the matches against the Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants, RR failed to chase regulation totals after the start their openers gave in the Powerplay overs.

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A lot of it had to do with the poor form of Shimron Hetmyer and playing Jurel out of his position. Not to forget, RR's batters seemed to be under pressure due to consistent failures to finish regulation chases. It potentially cost them at least two or three matches, if not more. RR had a lot of potential despite a mediocre bowling attack. But their selections were not the best.