IPL 2023, Rajasthan Royals season review: RR endure topsy-turvy tournament for fifth place

Rajasthan Royals had a splendid IPL 2022 where they finished runners-up. A year later, they were primed to do a repeat or go all the way. Smart buys in the IPL mini-auction in the form of Jason Holder, Joe Root and Adam Zampa gave their squad a well-rounded look.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

When it came to the season, they started well – four wins out of five played – but then a defeat to Lucknow Super Giants led to a nosedive in results and confidence from which they couldn’t recover. As key players lost form in crucial junctures coupled with narrow losses, Rajasthan Royals ended IPL 2023 in fifth place to miss out on the playoffs.

A look at the final standings and it appears RR missed out on the playoffs by a solitary win. When you take into account the close defeats that RR endured, such as by 5 runs against PBKS, by 7 runs against RCB, on the last ball against SRH. If one had gone the other way, RR might have been preparing for the playoffs.

In a nutshell

RR started well with wins over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. Two of those – against SRH and DC – came with massive margins 72 runs and 57 runs. One, against CSK, came at Chepauk in what was their first win in Chennai in 15 years. One, against GT, was a victory showcasing their abilities and intent.

And then things collapsed.

Rajasthan Royals suffered a surprise defeat against Lucknow Super Giants while chasing a modest 145 run total. That was the first blow and RR couldn’t recover from then on.

Best performer: Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal with 625 runs from 14 innings was RR’s player of the season by a mile. His runs came at a strike rate of 163.61 with average of 48.08. In his maiden IPL century against Mumbai Indians (124 runs), he also became Rajasthan Royals’ highest scorer in IPL history. The left-hander also racked up five fifties throughout the season. He also set a record for the all-time fastest IPL fifty.

What worked for RR

At the top of the order, Jaiswal and Jos Buttler were a nightmare for the opposition bowlers right from the word go. The left-right pairing put together 550 runs throughout the season. The England player scored 392 runs in 14 matches with four fifty-run milestones.

Sanju Samson came in at one down and was equally powerful. He stitched hundred run stands with Jos Buttler (138 vs SRH) and Jaiswal (121 vs KKR) while individually scoring 362 runs at an average of 30.17. However, it was his lowest return in a season since 2019.

What didn’t work for RR

When they clicked, Buttler and Jaiswal made the bowlers pay. But unfortunately for the Royals, they didn’t click all too often. Buttler’s 392 runs are a massive drop from the highs of 863 runs last season and the Orange Cap winner. After 95 runs against SRH, he went duck, duck and duck to close the season out. In all, he had five noughts in the season – most ducks in a season. Yikes.

Rajasthan Royals final finish: Fifth

Rajasthan Royals most runs in IPL 2023: Yashasvi Jaiswal (625 runs)

Rajasthan Royals most wickets in IPL 2023: Yuzvendra Chahal (21 wickets)

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