Credit: BCCI/IPL
Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid came into defence of wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel who came under criticism for failing to gain momentum, resulting to 10-run loss against the Punjab Kings in Jaipur on Sunday, May 18 in the ongoing IPL 2025. RR failed to reach the target of 220 runs, despite a solid start by the openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. This is their seventh loss while chasing the target this season. The opening duo of Jaiswal (50 off 25) and\ Suryavanshi (40 off 15) pushed the game with a solid start, but the middle order couldn't continue the momentum further. However,\ Jurel looked solid with an impressive 31-ball 53, and all hopes were pinned on him. But the wicket-keeper failed to reach the target.
“In every single match that he has come out in, he’s (Jurel) been chasing 13-14 runs per over — that is not easy,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference. “He played really well, even though we lost a bunch of wickets in the middle overs. He brought us close to the target. It’s not like he’s walked in needing 7 an over and failed. It’s always 12-13, sometimes even more. I think Jurel has done well for us at No. 5. It’s a very difficult position to bat in.”
There's no point only blaming the batsmen: Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, while defending Dhruv Jurel, criticized the bowling department of RR. RR are already out of the playoffs race and are standing at the ninth spot in the points table with three wins and nine losses so far.
"There’s no point only blaming the batsmen. With the ball, too, this wasn’t a 220 pitch. It was more of a 195-200 surface, and we gave 20 extra. If we look at the stats, we’ve not taken enough wickets or controlled the runs despite good starts. That’s something we have to work on for next season."
Rajasthan Royals have faced several challenges this year despite boasting a young core, but players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag have displayed impressive composure in high-pressure situations. Dravid highlighted that with more experience under their belt; the team is likely to perform much better next season.
“We’ve seen the talent today again, the batting from Jaiswal, Vaibhav, Jurel, even Sanju and Riyan. We have a strong group of young Indian batsmen. They’ll only be better in a year,” the former Indian skipper added.
RR will now look forward to avoiding being at the bottom by winning against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 20.
