IPL 2018: Rajasthan Royals' loss against Delhi Daredevils a result of their bowlers getting too predictable

With the constant expansion of the Twenty20 game, the push for detailed data analysis is growing by the day. Teams and franchises around the world believe data analysts are as important a part of the coaching structure as a batting or a bowling coach. They are supposed to be the men that define the weak zone of the batsmen, the hitting areas, the strike rates against particular bowlers, effect of batsmen during a particular period of the game. Teams thrive on such information and the modern day captains build their strategies around the data that is prepared for them. Last night in Delhi, however, there were instances and periods that seem to indicate the Rajasthan Royals bowlers simply did not have sufficient data at their disposal or a solution to stop the assault of the Daredevils batsmen. [caption id=“attachment_4455069” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rajasthan Royals’ Ben Stokes bowls against Delhi Daredevils during their IPL 2018 match at the Ferozshah Kotla. AFP[/caption] The first instance came against the flamboyant Prithvi Shaw. The diminutive right-handed batsman blazed the bowlers to all parts of the ground during the powerplay. The Royals bowlers were guilty of bowling back of the length and outside off-stump. For a player that prefers to stay leg-side of the ball and likes to hang back, it was baffling to see the Royals bowlers sticking to a plan that played right into Shaw’s hands. With so much data around and given the way Shaw plays, not a single bouncer was bowled at him. By the time Ben Stokes attempted to cramp him with a bouncer, Shaw had blazed away. Shaw might be a newcomer, but for the Royals not to study and then to bowl into his weaker zones seemed to indicate that the bowlers had not done their homework. Fast forward to later in the innings and for a period of three overs against the left-handed Rishabh Pant, the Rajasthan bowlers became so predictable with their lines and lengths that the stylish left-hander just had to pick a spot on the field he wanted to hit the ball to. The Royals think tank had identified that Pant’s hitting zone was over mid-wicket and were desperate to keep the ball away from his body, so he had to swipe the wide balls angling across him to the leg-side. But with each ball the plan became so predictable that Pant outsmarted them and slammed boundaries through the covers. There was no effort to change the line or length. They resembled a bowling machine that simply put the ball where the batsmen wanted it to be. From the outset it was evident that the amount of detailed research that should have been undertaken was not done, or that the bowlers were really off the radar with their execution. In T20 cricket there will be periods when the batsmen will dominate the bowlers, but not targeting the weak zones of a player is a cardinal sin. Throughout the season so far, the Royals have been guilty of not planning specifically for a team or a player and this was once again evident against the Daredevils on Wednesday. While the Rajasthan data analysts might have had a bad day in terms of inputs to the bowlers, they, however, got it spot on with the batting by deciding to open with Jos Buttler. Last season, for the Mumbai Indians, Buttler had a strike rate in excess of 160 while opening and after subdued starts in the season so far, it was imperative that Buttler opened the batting for Rajasthan. It was his blistering and innovative strokeplay that nearly got the Royals across the line. Moving ahead, the Royals need to keep him at the top of the order and perhaps have Ajinkaya Rahane at No 3, so that he can still control the innings. T20 cricket is about providing explosive starts and making the opposition deviate from their initial plans. Buttler’s promotion certainly caught the Daredevils napping and the time has come for the Royals to analyse the data that is available more meticulously and at the same time be more flexible according to the situations. Teams like Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad can afford to be stick to a single plan, as that plan is working effectively. But the Royals, even after eight games, are yet to identify their best XI. Data and stats will always be available, but it is the way they get presented and implemented that makes franchises successful. The Royals’ loss to the Daredevils is a further indication that the they are still lacking behind some of the other franchises in terms of devising strategies. Luckily, the Royals are still alive and can still make the finals, but it’s time to focus on the minor details that can often decide a T20 game.