“If we keep playing like that, we shouldn’t be in contention for the top four,” an angry Riyan Parag said after Rajasthan Royals’ last match against Delhi Capitals. Multiple mistakes on the field cost the team a crucial game, forcing them into two must-win matches in the race for the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals will play one of those two games when they take on Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday, May 19, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. It is going to be a tricky contest, considering LSG have looked really dangerous since getting knocked out of the tournament. Mitchell Marsh, in particular, has been in riveting form of late is expected to pose a major challenge to Parag’s side.
The Royals are coming into the game on the back of three consecutive losses. They looked visibly rattled after the defeat against Delhi Capitals. The captain lost his cool at the team, and the coach lost his cool at the captain.
In cricket, players often talk about professionalism, and it is perhaps time for RR to show that on the field. Their professionalism now lies in forgetting the previous defeat and starting afresh, because the next two games could decide the fate of their season.
Rajasthan’s dominance in the first half of the season was built around their imperious fast-bowling attack in the powerplay. Jofra Archer steaming in with raw pace put genuine fear into opposition batters. But as the wickets have slowed down in the second half of the season, that fear factor has reduced as well. In his last four matches, Archer has conceded 40 or more runs three times, marking a noticeable shift in mood within the RR camp.
Pace on or pace off, Abishek Porel pounces @DelhiCapitals 50/0 after 4 overs.
Updates https://t.co/JwHkQQ1ayi #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #DCvRR pic.twitter.com/WXlz8gzHxE— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 17, 2026
Rajasthan will need Archer at his absolute best if they are to get the better of Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis on Tuesday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form is another major concern. He has scored just one fifty in his last nine games and will need to pull up his socks to provide some cushion for the middle order. Riyan Parag has been batting well, but Rajasthan will perhaps need one huge innings from their captain in a pressure game like this.
The Rishabh Pant-led side has constantly searched for clarity this season. And strangely enough, they seem to be finding bits and pieces of it game by game. The only thing they still have not figured out is the ideal batting position for Pant himself.
In a rather bizarre post-match interview after the last game, Pant hinted that there were perhaps too many voices involved in decision-making at LSG. The situation was fairly similar last season as well, which eventually saw Zaheer Khan being removed at the end of the campaign.
Now out of the playoffs race, LSG will look to play party spoilers in the final phase of the season and hope that the learnings from this campaign help them build towards a bigger role in the IPL next year.
The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh has turned into a dream surface for batting in recent games. This is increasingly becoming a chasing venue, which means the captain winning the toss is expected to bowl first.
Rajasthan might also bring back Ravindra Jadeja for this game after resting him in the previous match. Earlier in the season, Jadeja had played a decisive knock against LSG to help Rajasthan secure a memorable win.
RR Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma
Impact Sub: Yash Raj Punja
LSG Predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh
Impact Sub: Prince Yadav
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Source: India Today
