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The Rajasthan Royals (RR) are officially out of the IPL 2025 playoffs race after a big 100-run loss to Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur. With this, RR has become the second team to be knocked out, after Chennai Super Kings.
RR is currently ninth on the points table with only 3 wins in 11 matches, and things are not looking good.
🗣️ Former CSK Player Abhinav Mukund Criticizes RR
After the loss, former Chennai Super Kings cricketer Abhinav Mukund spoke to ESPNCricinfo and blamed RR’s auction choices for their bad performance this year.
He said RR spent too much money on some Indian batters who didn’t perform well — especially 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who got out for a two-ball duck against MI.
“I wouldn’t have bought Vaibhav Suryavanshi for ₹1.1 crore, or Nitish Rana for ₹4.2 crore,” Mukund said.
“That money should have gone into buying a couple of good bowlers.”
🚑 Injuries Made Things Worse
To make matters worse, two of RR’s top bowlers — Sandeep Sharma and Wanindu Hasaranga — were injured and missed the MI match.
Mukund also pointed out that Tushar Deshpande, bought for ₹6.75 crore, didn’t even play the game.
“They already had strong bowlers like Chahal, Ashwin, Boult, and Avesh Khan. But this year, they didn’t get their bowling strategy right,” he said.
🏏 What’s Next for RR?
With the playoffs out of reach, RR will have to focus on fixing their team strategy and auction planning for the next season. Fans and experts are hoping the team learns from its mistakes and comes back stronger.
