Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his confusion and disappointment over the Rajasthan Royals’ lacklustre performance in the ongoing IPL 2025 after their fifth consecutive defeat in the season. After a narrow 11-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday, Gavaskar questioned the team’s approach to the game, especially considering the presence of Rahul Dravid as their head coach.
RR’s loss to RCB added to their struggles in close run-chases, which has been a theme throughout their IPL 2025 campaign. Despite having one of India's most respected cricketers at the helm, RR has been unable to execute a strategic game plan that would have been expected under Dravid's guidance.
Gavaskar did not mince words when discussing the team's shortcomings during the match.
“With Rajasthan Royals, I’m actually talking about the earlier matches where I wasn’t at the ground. I just saw them. So, you're not always able to get the feeling of what’s really happening. But here, I was at the ground, and you could actually see the kind of cricket that was being played. And with someone like Rahul Dravid as the coach, it was quite baffling—it was unthinking cricket," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"Dravid was always so precise in his thinking, and I would’ve thought that kind of approach would’ve seeped into some of the Rajasthan batters," he remarked.
{{/usCountry}}"Dravid was always so precise in his thinking, and I would’ve thought that kind of approach would’ve seeped into some of the Rajasthan batters," he remarked.
{{/usCountry}}The legendary cricketer questioned the team’s thought process during crucial matches.
"Where is the thought process there? You can’t expect inexperienced players to always get it right, but still... it’s just a different kind of cricket,” he added, suggesting that RR’s inability to perform under pressure stems from a deeper flaw in their approach rather than individual failures.
RR 8th in the league
The team has repeatedly failed to capitalise on the foundations during run chases in this season, suffering losses in the final overs, such as a Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals and a 2-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants.
Currently sitting in 8th place on the IPL 2025 points table, RR’s chances of advancing to the playoffs are all but over with just two wins from nine matches. With captain Riyan Parag already suggesting that the season may be beyond repair, RR will need a major turnaround to salvage any pride, starting with their upcoming match against Gujarat Titans on April 29.