IPL 2018: 4 strategic blunders that have placed Rajasthan Royals on the verge of elimination

#2 Not playing Ish Sodhi from the outset

Ish Sodhi

Following the injury to their Afgan spinner Zahir Khan, the RR replaced him with Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi, who is one of the world’s leading spinners in T20 cricket. Before joining the RR, he had a T20 economy rate of 7.66 and was definitely a bowler that should come straight into the RR line-up. However, that did not happen and it was not until the 7th game (he was available from the 3rd game onwards) game that the leg-spinner was given a game.

Sodhi has only played 4 games so far and his performance clearly illustrates that not playing him earlier was a massive mistake on the part of RR. He has taken only 4 wickets but it is his variety, control, and accuracy that has seen him provide RR with the sort of solidity that they had been missing in the middle-over. Sodhi’s economy rate of 5.93 is a clear indication of the sort of impact that he could have had, had he played earlier. In a game that depends on such small margins, such strategic blunders are always punished.