‘Need to reflect on their auction strategy’

The Rajasthan Royals endured an eight-wicket defeat to the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday in an Indian Premier League encounter at Guwahati.
Batting first, Rajasthan Royals managed to set a target of 151 runs with Dhruv Jurel top scoring with 33 while Yashasvi Jaiswal (29) and captain Riyan Parag (25) also getting starts but losing their wickets when it mattered. In response, stirred an unbeaten 97 from Quinton de Kock, the Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the total with 15 balls remaining and eight wickets in hand.
The Rajasthan Royals played only six special batters, rather than the tried and tested method of playing seven batters when batting first and then bringing in a bowler as an Impact Player in the second innings.
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Former India player Robin Uthappa said that the Rajasthan Royals franchise would need to “reflect on their auction strategy” after the defeat.
“They (Royals) will need to reflect on their auction strategy and analyse what they might have missed. But hindsight is a luxury they don’t have right now,” Uthappa said on JioStar. “Their bowling attack seems a bit thin, relying heavily on Sandeep Sharma and Jofra Archer. However, it’s important to consider that Jofra Archer is returning to regular cricket after a hiatus of over two and a half years. He has endured multiple injuries and other challenges that have taken a toll on his body. That inevitably affects a player’s mental makeup and self-confidence. There’s a lot to unpack here.”
Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson added: “The Rajasthan Royals batters struggled to find their timing and made a few execution errors, which prevented them from putting up a big total… Rajasthan’s bowlers, particularly in the middle overs, lacked the potency we’ve seen from them in the past.”