'I would not have bought Suryavanshi': Former CSK star lashes out at auction strategy of Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs following a crushing 100-run defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur on Friday. 

The loss leaves RR languishing in ninth place on the points table, with eight defeats from 11 matches.

Criticism Over Auction Strategy

Former Chennai Super Kings player, Abhinav Mukund, has criticised the RR management for their auction strategies last year, held in Jeddah. He pointed out that RR invested heavily in batsmen rather than fortifying their bowling attack, leading to strategic inadequacies that have plagued their performance this season.

Key Bowlers’ Absence Felt

In the match against MI, RR were without pivotal bowlers Sandeep Sharma and Wanindu Hasaranga, which added to their woes. Mukund commented, "Their primary bowler, Jofra Archer, commanded high spending, but investments in domestic talent faltered. Notably, Tushar Deshpande, acquired for an impressive sum of INR 6.75 crore, was left out of the squad for this critical match." Furthermore, RR spent INR 3 crore and INR 1.1 crore on Indian batsmen Nitish Rana and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, respectively.

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Poor Show Against MI

During their innings, RR’s young talent Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed without scoring after only two balls, and Nitish Rana managed a meagre nine runs off 11 deliveries. Chasing a formidable target of 218, RR succumbed under pressure and were bundled out for 117 in a little over 16 overs.