Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2025 struggles: Aakash Chopra and Abhinav Mukund analyze the team's issues

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been struggling in the IPL 2025, with three wins from 11 matches. Their recent 100-run defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) has taken them out of the playoff zone. Former players Aakash Chopra and Abhinav Mukund have broken down the problems of the team and have attributed them to their policy of retaining and auctioning their players.

Retention and auction policy: A crippling blunder?

Chopra feels that RR overspent retaining Dhruv Jurel (14 crore) and Shimron Hetmyer (11 crore) at the cost of not being able to build a good bowling attack. The team did manage to buy Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana, but all three have performed below par in the season. Chopra feels that RR should have spent on Indian spinners, who are vital in the IPL.

Deficit of senior statesmanship

A deficit of senior statesmanship also marks the RR team. Post-Jos Buttler, no experienced leader who can calm down the batting department is available for the team. Chopra also points out how even in Indian T20 there are players such as Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya who lend support and experience to their team players.

Bowling attack: Weak link

Abhinav Mukund agrees with Chopra's opinion, referring to the fact that RR's bowling attack has been a weak link. The team's best bowler, Jofra Archer, has not performed to expectations, and their Indian pick has not worked out as planned. Mukund opines that RR could have spent money on a couple of good bowlers rather than batters such as Nitish Rana and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

The importance of all-rounders

Chopra and Mukund also comment that RR lost the slot of an all-rounder from their team. Even after the Impact Player rule, the side tends to not have depth either in batting or bowling. According to Chopra, RR must have purchased an all-rounder during the auction so they could play the role of a bridge between bowling and batting. 

The failure of the team in terms of senior statesmanship

RR's failure in IPL 2025 is traceable to their auction and retention policy. The failure of the team in terms of senior statesmanship, poor bowling attack, and inability to pick up an all-rounder has all weighed them down. As the team seeks to rebuild for the future, they will be forced to rethink their strategy and effect some crucial changes.