5 reasons why Rajasthan’s Royals failed to make the Playoffs

1 RR retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma (for a total of R79 crore), but all have been inconsistent.

2 RR let go of prominent match-winners like Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

3 Skipper Sanju Samson missed the first three matches due to an index finger fracture suffered while on national duty. Then, against Delhi Capitakls, he picked up an abdominal tear and had to retire hurt. RR badly missed his leadership and runs.

4 Riyan Parag was elevated to the captaincy, but he failed to lead by example. He managed to score  just 280 runs in 11 matches.

5 Having spent the bulk of their auction purse on batters, RR could not pick a potent bowling attack. Jofra Archer (10 wkts in 11 matches), Sandeep Sharma (9 wkts in 10 matches), Wanindu Hasaranga (10 wkts in 8 matches) and mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana (10 wkts in 10 matches) all could’ve performed better.

This article first appeared on Mid Day