"Your mate has just been demolished" - Ex-Aussie spinner slams Shimron Hetmyer for friendly chat with Quinton de Kock after RR vs KKR IPL 2025 match

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has called out Shimron Hetmyer for congratulating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Quinton de Kock heartily despite Rajasthan Royals' (RR) comprehensive defeat in the IPL 2025 game on Wednesday. Hogg was baffled by the gesture, especially as his teammate Jofra Archer had been carted for consecutive boundaries.

De Kock missed out on the IPL 2025 opener but scored an unbeaten 61-ball 97 to help the defending champions chase down 152 with eight wickets to spare. Even as the left-hander was hammering 6, 4 and 6 to finish off the game, Hetmyer walked up to him with all smiles to congratulate him on his fantastic knock.

Reacting to the incident, Brad Hogg said Archer hadn't had the games he would have expected; thus, it was unacceptable for Hetmyer to 'cuddle' De Kock the way he did. The 54-year-old opined that the West Indian needed to have some empathy towards his teammate.

He stated in a video shared on his YouTube channel via Hindustan Times:

"There's one thing that really bugs me. Jofra Archer bowling the last over, went for 18 runs off 3 balls. It was a four, six, two wides, and another six. The game was finished, de Kock was brilliant. But, once that final six has been hit, one of the Rajasthan Royals players (Shimron Hetmyer) came over and he was laughing with de Kock. He was cuddling him. What is going on there?" You are part of a team, your mate has just been hit, demolished, demoralized."

"He's had two games in a row, Jofra Archer, where he hasn't had the success that he would like. He's the main strike bowler, and you got teammates celebrating with the opposition after the game. This is not on. You can't do that. You've got to have a little bit more empathy for your bowler than that. Yes, shake hands; after about 10 minutes, go up and have a laugh. Not straight after the game," Hogg added.

Jofra Archer, who was bought by the Royals for ₹12.5 crore in the mega auction, had registered the most expensive figures bowled in an IPL game against the SunRisers Hyderabad. The Barbadian had conceded 76 runs in his four wicketless overs.

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Shimron Hetmyer among the six RR batters who failed to reach double figures

Shimron Hetmyer. (Image Credits: Getty)

In what was a disappointing batting performance by the Royals against the Knight Riders, only five batters reached double figures as they managed 151/9 on the board. No batter registered a half-century, while Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 33.

Having played two games thus far, the inaugural IPL champions have lost both. The Royals will next face the Chennai Super Kings on March 30 in Guwahati.