Cheteshwar Pujara and Ian Bishop blamed Rahul Dravid and Sanju Samson after the Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) loss against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2025 match. Pujara said that Nitish Rana and Yashasvi Jaiswal should have been included in the final three players, which could have helped RR in the Super Over.
The Rajasthan Royals suffered a third consecutive defeat after losing to the Delhi Capitals in the Super Over on Wednesday, April 16. RR bowlers restricted DC to a total of 188 in their 20 overs. Mitchell Starc’s brilliant bowling at the death helped DC make a comeback, forcing the match into the Super Over.
Rajasthan Royals’ Selection for Super Over Faces Criticism
Captain Sanju Samson and coach Rahul Dravid opted to send Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag to face Mitchell Starc in the Super Over, with Yashasvi Jaiswal as the third batter. Surprisingly, Nitish Rana, who had made a quickfire 51 off 28 balls in the regular innings, was excluded from the Super Over lineup.
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Starc gave away just 11 runs in the Super Over. Parag and Jaiswal were run out on the fourth and fifth balls. DC then chased down the target in just four balls without losing a wicket. Tristan Stubbs sealed the victory with six runs off his first ball, while KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 7 runs off 3 balls, including one four.
Also read: Delhi Capitals Playing 11 vs Rajasthan Royals- IPL 2025, Match 32
I Would Want Jaiswal To Start Because… – Cheteshwar Pujara
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Cheteshwar Pujara said that Yashasvi Jaiswal has a strong record against Mitchell Starc that could have given Rajasthan Royals a psychological advantage. Pujara added that Nitish Rana should have been part of the three batters chosen for the Super Over.
“I think Nitish should have been there in those three,” Pujara said.
“But I don’t know whether he should have started. I would want Jaiswal to start because of the way he bats against Mitchell Starc – his record (against Starc) has been phenomenal across formats (26 runs from 15 balls without a dismissal in T20s and 133 from 203 with three dismissals in Tests).”
“I know it was the Super Over and Starc was just trying to execute his yorkers, but there’s a psychological advantage. If Yashasvi had faced a few balls, then Starc would have been under some pressure,” he added.
I Am Biased Towards Nitish Rana As Well – Ian Bishop
Speaking on the same show, Ian Bishop said that Nitish Rana and Yashasvi Jaiswal should have started for Rajasthan Royals. Bishop added that he would have liked to see Rana included in the Super Over for his skills.
“I like Jaiswal at the top there, but I am biased towards Nitish Rana as well. I would not mind Rana’s silky skill to come in there, not necessarily raw power,” Bishop said.
After their victory, Delhi Capitals have moved to the top of the IPL 2025 points table with 10 points from five wins and just one loss. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are currently in eighth place with two wins from seven games.
Also read: “Terrible Decisions”- Rahul Dravid-led Rajasthan Royals management blasted for Super Over drama