Rajasthan Royals: IPL 2021: Yashasvi, Mahipal warm the bench as Rajasthan Royals struggle to fix their batting line-up | Cricket News – Times of India

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals are off to a sedate start in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), having won just one out of the three games they have played so far. The Jaipur-based franchise is yet to find a settled batting order as they have been juggling with various options and the departure of talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes has only made their life miserable.
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Since last year, Royals have experimented with several combinations both at the top and in the middle. While the two slots are now booked by England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and David Miller of South Africa, other batting positions are left for inexperienced Indian players.
Captain Sanju Samson has at his disposal six uncapped batsmen with a decent domestic record, but the management is yet to look beyond certain choices and fully explore their talent.

One of the prime examples is Yashasvi Jaiswal.
A hot pick in the IPL 2020 auctions, Royals spent Rs 2.40 crore for Jaiswal and looked willing to invest time and patience with him. But after letting him play just three games in the UAE last year, Royals ran out of that patience. With a precocious talent like him, who was also the highest run-getter in the 2020 ICC U-19 World Cup, a little more persistence would have been better for the outfit.
The RR management, led by director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara, should look beyond an opener’s role for Jaiswal, especially when all other players have been tried and tested at several positions and none has impressed enough to seal a batting slot. The left-handed batsman can also come in handy as a leg-spinner.

Another player who must get a look in is Mahipal Lomror.
The left-hander, who is a middle-order batsman and a hard-hitter, has in the last three years played a crucial role for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit. In the recently concluded domestic season, he was the second-highest run-getter for Rajasthan in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 173 runs from seven matches, scored at a strike rate of 160.18. He was also the highest scorer for his state team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 272 runs off five games. He can also be useful as a part-time left-arm spinner.
Hesitation to give these players a fair run looks misplaced when those like Riyan Parag get a long rope despite not delivering decent returns. While the Assam all-rounder did well in 2019, scoring 160 runs from seven IPL matches, Parag failed to replicate that performance in UAE last year. He scored just 86 runs from 12 outings. Further, the 19-year-old’s scores of 25, 2 and 3 in the ongoing edition only weakens his case.