Royals go 'brain over brawn' to overturn home woes in IPL 2024 opener

Commonly referred to as 'The Pink City' for its hospitality, Jaipur, playing home to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), lived up to its name a tad too much in IPL 2023, with the side gift-wrapping wins to the opposition in a hospitable manner.

Often embodying simplicity, the side and its players lacked the ruthlessness and the killer instinct, resulting in four losses in five outings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

A new season is often full of new beginnings and renewed hope, something the Royals had in their mind ahead of the IPL 2024 opener against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The match-up had several sub-plots and games within the game, and fans were as keen to see those battles pan out in the bigger war.

Who would win Round 1 of the off-season trade of Avesh Khan and Devdutt Padikkal between the teams? Could Riyan Parag finally translate Bradmanesque domestic form into the IPL and repay the RR management for their unwavering trust?

There was also the battle between Ravi Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal for the second wrist spinner role in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Yet, they all soon became side shows as the encounter became a tutorial of Rajasthan Royals' tactical planning during and before the contest.

The ultimate usage of the Impact Sub Player rule

It was crystal clear that the backroom staff had worked overtime when RR named only three overseas players in the playing XI at the toss. With the knowledge that batting first may not require depth should the top four fire, the side went with five specialist bowlers.

Yet, they were cerebral enough to mitigate a possible collapse by having Rovman Powell as one of the five Impact sub-players. The three foreign players and the five bowlers afforded the side incredible flexibility for the different situations possible during the game.

As it turned out, RR lost only two wickets until the 15th over, which meant they could use the Impact Sub as a bowler in the second innings, arming them with six specialist options. It came to tremendous effect when South African left-arm pacer Nandre Burger came in for Shimron Hetmyer at the start of the second innings.

All six bowlers bowled a minimum of three overs, with Trent Boult and Ravichandran Ashwin utilized for their full quota of four overs. It added to their variety and threw several unpredictabilities at the LSG batters.

If that was the masterstroke before the game, RR had other tricks up their sleeves during the sea-saw battle.

How RR converted the death overs to be the death rattle for LSG

Despite scoring a mammoth 193/4 in 20 overs, RR found themselves in a spot of bother when LSG recovered from 60/4 in the eighth over to 129/4 in 14 overs. That's when RR decided to move their next chess piece by bringing pacer Sandeep Sharma into the attack for the first time.

A man who started as an out-an-out swing bowler with the Punjab Kings had done the death bowling duties admirably on occasions last year. Who will ever forget his 20th over heroics to stop the Lion MS Dhoni in his own den?

Yet, bowling three overs on the trott can be taxing for even a Lasith Malinga or Jasprit Bumrah. An unfazed Sandeep started with a five-run 15th over that stemmed LSG's momentum and pushed the equation to 60 needed off 30 deliveries.

After an expensive 11-run over by Chahal swung the pendulum LSG's way, Sandeep answered the bell with the massive wicket of the well-set KL Rahul. A seven-run over later, his figures read an incredible 1/12 in two overs in a near 200-run chase.

And just when one thought RR may have exhausted their out-of-the-box cards, skipper Sanju Samson brought in Ashwin for the 18th over to utilize the longer leg-side boundary. And, you guessed it, the plan worked to precision, with the champion off-spinner conceding only four runs and removing the dangerous Marcus Stoinis.

The equation that appeared so gettable for LSG at 65 off 36 balls had suddenly become 38 off 12 deliveries, and the writing was on the wall. For good measure, Sandeep nailed the penultimate over to complete his death-bowling exhibition, with LSG needing an improbable 27 off six balls.

And it was only fitting that the man LSG discarded in the off-season trade with RR, Avesh Khan, bowled a six-run last over to complete the masterclass.

While the Royals playing chess to the usual checkers may have thrown the Fantasy Cricket lovers off-guard, they proved once and for all that the 'Brain over Brawn' strategy wins the occasional closely-fought games.

Samson Special stirs up T20 World Cup wicketkeeper battle

Don't let the players participating in the 2024 IPL fool you by saying that they do not have one eye, if not both eyes, on the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.

While a few players have all but nailed a spot in the squad, several are still vying for the flight to the West Indies and U.S.A. to partake in the mega event. Who will be India's wicketkeeper is anybody's guess and a roll of the dice.

If there was a mini-battle for the keeper spot, Sanju Samson took an emphatic 1-0 series after Round 1 of the 2024 IPL. With none of Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Jitesh Sharma, and Samson booking their berth in the Indian T20 squad for different reasons, the IPL season will likely be the decider.

While there are question marks over Kishan's future selections, Jitesh wasted his opportunity in the Punjab Kings' opening encounter against the Delhi Capitals. KL Rahul opening the batting for LSG almost certainly eliminates him from contention for the middle-order wicket-keeping role that India is searching for. And Pant may be too risky an option for such an important tournament when he is playing competitive cricket after 15 months.

On a tacky Jaipur wicket, Samson showcased his impeccable and undeniable skills that have detracted him in T20Is. The stylish batter combined power and finesse in equal measure, finishing unbeaten on 82 off 52 deliveries.

While highlighting his immense talent, the knock was a further example of why cricket lovers have endured more frustration than jubilation due to his lack of consistency. A T20I average of under 19 is unfathomable, and Samson would hope his eye-pleasing knock against LSG is the start of a dream run that sends down a firm statement to the selectors.