Royals inch closer to their favourite template

Over the past few seasons, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have often embraced audacity in their pursuit of flexibility, but Saturday's IPL 2025 game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), their fourth game of the season, was perhaps the T20 prototype they were looking for.

They arrived in Mullanpur buoyed by a morale-boosting win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati, but were the first to acknowledge the issues that needed addressing. The most pressing concern: Yashasvi Jaiswal's struggle for fluency at the top.

Jaiswal has looked like a shadow of the explosive batter who lit up IPL 2023 - a season where he struck at over 175 in the powerplay and smashed a record 13-ball half-century. In stark contrast, since IPL 2024, he had already been dismissed ten times in the powerplay - the joint-third-highest in the tournament.

On Saturday, Jaiswal shook off the cobwebs to lay the foundation for a commanding performance. His half-century wasn't the most dazzling, but it was marked by a gritty battle with himself. By the time he was dismissed, Jaiswal had offered more than a glimpse of the ferocious ball-striker he can be - rushing from 46 off 39 to 67 off 44 before being bowled by Lockie Ferguson.

Jaiswal's return to form, combined with Sanju Samson's full-fledged comeback as captain-batter-wicketkeeper after recovering from a finger injury, powered RR to their highest opening partnership of the season - 89. Crucially, it was also the first time the first pair lasted beyond the powerplay.

This was a massive tick because the composition of their squad, combined with how they utilise the Impact Player - six batters even when batting first, unlike other teams that bolster their line-up with an extra hitter - leaves them exposed when the top order fails.

Their improved batting also seemed to reduce their reliance on Riyan Parag. Parag, who had captained in the first three games, looked unshackled on Saturday as he made an unbeaten 25-ball 43. He batted knowing RR still had Nitish Rana - fresh off a sensational 36-ball 81 against CSK last week - to come and not as many overs to deal with as he had to when the openers failed.

This also meant they no longer had to resort to unconventional tactics, like promoting Wanindu Hasaranga to lengthen their batting order. With Shimron Hetmyer at No. 5 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6, they eliminated the need for makeshift solutions. Yet, you couldn't help but wonder why Hetmyer had ever batted at No. 8, below an Impact Player, after being retained to fulfill the role of the finisher.

All told, theirs wasn't a flawless batting show, but the ideal batting line-up - one that, when in full flow, can dominate the best attacks - was on display. This power-packed line-up propelled them to the first 200-plus total in Mullanpur in the IPL, which Sandeep Sharma later said was well "above par" on a pitch that "wasn't all that good".

The batting unit looked so settled that Samson even suggested it was something they "just have to stick to", believing they had finally found the "right batting order and right entry points" for batters.

This left them even with the freedom to go through their bowling innings without having to press for Kumar Kartikeya's left-arm versatility - he can bowl the orthodox offbreak as well as wristspin - as an Impact Player.

The contest seemed to be over well before Kartikeya even came on, thanks to Jofra Archer's fiery new-ball spell. His electrifying first over was sheer popcorn stuff. Though, if you ask young Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer, they might vehemently disagree.

Arya was undone first ball, almost squared up by genuine seam movement that sent his off stump cartwheeling. Iyer responded with intent, lofting two elegant shots over the covers, but Archer had the last laugh. A sharp, short ball aimed at the ribs, drifting down leg, that was called wide may have unsettled Iyer just enough to tempt a retort - one that saw him expose all stumps in an ambitious swipe. The result: stumps and bails flying in opposite directions.

Archer was fired up - a far cry from the tentative, perhaps even slightly undercooked, version that had emerged from England's spring chill into India's unforgiving summer, returning figures of 0 for 109 in just 6.3 overs across his first two games.

Was it the fear of another injury holding him back? Or simply the brutal combination of harsh conditions and a rampant Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting line-up that made things look worse than they were? On Saturday, Archer delivered a proper riposte.

His burst allowed all the moving parts of the RR attack to function the way they were designed to. Like Sandeep bowling two upfront and two at the death to close out the game, and their Sri Lankan spin twins of Maheesh Theekshana and Hasaranga manning the middle overs and overcoming the Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell threat.

This is the template they like, and with two consecutive wins, RR now have a bit more leeway than they seemed to have. It's also likely that Rahul Dravid's notepad on Saturday had far fewer notes in red as a result.