Rajasthan Royals (RR) decided to use their old tactic against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the sixth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, and it backfired hard on them. At 69/3 in 8.4 overs, with Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag all back in the pavilion, RR decided to send Wanindu Hasaranga at number five.
The move was shocking. Hasaranga hadn’t played in the last match. Dhruv Jurel had come to that position against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and scored 70 (35). Yet RR management thought the Sri Lankan all-rounder would be the right option at the moment.
RR’s havoc hitter: Ashwin
This invoked a tactic that RR used sporadically in the last three seasons. Having acquired Ravichandran Ashwin in 2022, they used the Indian all-rounder up the order a few times during his 3-year stint.
In total, Ashwin came to bat from numbers three to five, a total of 9 times. By spending him, the opposition’s plan was rendered useless. They had planned for proper batters, and here comes Ashwin, with the permission to whack the ball without much thought.
A look at the numbers would suggest Ashwin did well. Especially given the decline in his batting ability due to back issues.
Ashwin’s stats at No. 3 & 5 for RR
| Batting Position | Period | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2022 | 3 | 75 | 25 | 136.36 | 1 | 50 |
| 5 | 2022-24 | 6 | 145 | 29 | 138.10 | 0 | 40* |
Wanindu Hasaranga’s promotion doesn’t work
RR decided to do the same with Hasaranga. Seen as a good player of spin, the Sri Lankan was sent to tackle Varun Chakaravarthy and Moeen Ali, who were causing all kinds of trouble for the batters at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
The move, however, didn’t work. Hasaranga managed to score just 4 (4) and was caught off a poor delivery by Chakaravarthy. Of course, he can’t be blamed. The 27-year-old hasn’t batted over number seven in the IPL, and 43 of his 67 innings in T20Is have come at the same spot as well.
RR’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, was asked about Hasaranga being promoted over Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Shubham Dubey. To this, he said, “We assumed they would be bowling spinners. We wanted him to take a few chances against spinners. We know he could hit the pacers. It did not work out, but we will keep trying these things out.”
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