IPL 2018, RR vs SRH: 5 talking points

#3 Most of the RR middle order messed up

Ben Stokes scored a duck

Rajasthan Royals were off to a disappointing start in their run chase as they lost opener Rahul Tripathi early. However, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson held the innings together by adding 59 runs from 44 deliveries for the 2nd wicket.

After Samson was dismissed, the other middle order batsmen needed to and were expected to provide ample support to Ajinkya Rahane. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened.

Ben Stokes was bowled for a duck and Jos Buttler scored just 10 from 11 deliveries. Rahane was the only person who was fighting to keep RR in the chase. The likes of Mahipal Lomror and K Gowtham also perished for low scores.

This dismal performance of the RR middle order was one of the primitive contributing factors to their defeat. Provided the middle-order continue to perform like this then Rajasthan Royals will have a tough time keeping their playoff hopes alive.