Jarrod Kimber, Shayan Ahmad Khan
Here’s a quick summary of team maps. The ratios tell us how much better or worse they are than the mean. A value of 1 means they’re par. The higher it is, the better they are in that phase in the game.
We weigh the true values for batting and bowling according to the phase. For instance, taking a wicket in the 20th over is not as valuable as it is in the first over. Batting and bowling averages matter more at the start of games than at the end. A strike rate of 150 (well, in a normal season) is excellent in the powerplay, and below par at the death.
We’ve done reviews for the six teams that missed out on a playoffs spot. We now take a look at the two teams – Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals – who finished third and fourth. We’ll examine what went right for them, and what didn’t go according to plan in their entire season. The team maps are updated as of May 21, so they don’t include the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB were a plus team with the bat in the first 16 overs of the innings. Virat Kohli having the second-best season (in terms of his runs tally) of his IPL career certainly helped. In fact, even in his 973-run season in 2016, he was not as good in the powerplay as he was in IPL 2024. Both Kohli and Faf du Plessis attacked while the field was up, and that played a big part in RCB’s six-game winning streak.
Rajat Patidar was key in the middle overs, striking at 181. Kohli bringing out the slog sweep helped him navigate that phase well, while Will Jacks played an important part in the opportunities he got. Dinesh Karthik and du Plessis were also impactful between overs 7 to 16, even though that’s not their primary role.
They were a par batting team at the death, which sounds a bit surprising when you consider the kind of season Karthik had. In addition, they had Cameron Green maintaining a good scoring rate in the final overs too, while also finishing not out on occasion.
With the ball, they were good in the first six overs. Although Yash Dayal and Mohammed Siraj did not strike as often, they did not concede a lot of runs either. You could almost look at their powerplay bowling in two halves – the first eight games, and the next seven. RCB took seven wickets at an economy of 10.79 in the first eight, which jumped to 17 wickets in the last seven matches at an economy of only 8.60. Left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh’s inclusion played a big part here, as he picked up five wickets in seven overs, while conceding less than nine runs per over.
But what really hurt them with the ball was the lack of an incisive wicket-taking spinner in the middle overs. Karn Sharma had seven wickets between overs 7 to 16 at an economy of 10.58. Their pacers actually did a good job. Green had eight wickets at an economy of 8.7 and Lockie Ferguson had five at 8.67. Siraj took five at 8.83, and Dayal had figures of 3 for 59 in eight overs at this stage of the innings.
Much like other aspects of their game, the death bowling also showed improvement after they had one win in eight games. Siraj actually conceded less than nine runs per over in the final four overs, an outstanding return in a high-scoring season. Dayal bowled a great last over against CSK, but his economy in the rest of the season was 10.77. Green conceded 37 runs off the 25 deliveries he bowled. None of the other overseas quicks – Ferguson, Reece Topley, or Alzarri Joseph – executed their skills as effectively as was needed at the end of games.
Overall, it was a net positive season for RCB, given the stirring run to qualify for the playoffs. They have a good mix of experience and youth that they could retain with a mega auction looming. Kohli is a given, but depending on the retention rules, they should try to hold on to Patidar, Green, Siraj and Jacks too. Dayal also had a good season, being the joint-highest wicket taker (15 wickets) along with Siraj.
What about Glenn Maxwell? Even though he could not buy a run this season, he has had three great seasons for the franchise. But he is 35 now. Faf is 39 (you wouldn’t believe that when you see him field), so will this be his last IPL season? Karthik had said this IPL would be his last, so it won’t be easy to get an Indian finisher of his quality.
Andy Flower has talked about how only pace is not the answer at the Chinnaswamy. “I do think though, the Chinnaswamy has some particular qualities that we need to be able to exploit, “ Flower said in the team’s final press conference. “You certainly need highly skillful bowlers at Chinnaswamy. Simply pace is not going to be the answer there. You need skillful, intelligent bowlers and people that can bowl to really specific plans at Chinnaswamy.”
RCB have made the playoffs four times in the last five seasons, but have fallen short thrice in the Eliminator. So they have certainly improved from the 2017-19 phase where they had two bottom table finishes, but they are not at the level of a title-winning side yet.
Rajasthan Royals
In a season where scoring quick runs was the norm, it felt like Trent Boult took a million wickets in the first over of games. That carried on for the first six overs, and he was a big reason why RR were one of the best powerplay bowling teams in the league. Even though Avesh Khan went at more than 10 runs per over, he took five wickets in 13 overs while the field restrictions were on. Nandre Burger took a wicket once every 15 balls, and Sandeep Sharma had four wickets at an economy of well under 8.
They were just below par when it came to middle overs bowling, which is surprising considering they have two of the top domestic spinners in the league. Yuzvendra Chahal had a very good start to the season, but his form saw a dip in the second half. R Ashwin was a good defensive option, conceding only 7.7 runs per over in this phase. Avesh was a bit expensive, taking seven wickets in 23 overs at an economy of 9.48. Kuldeep Sen was a strike bowling option with five wickets in eight overs, but he only played three games.
They were again a plus team at the death. Sandeep (10.08 economy) and Avesh (9.24 economy) were good when it came to closing out games with the ball. Boult’s combined figures read 4 for 86 in 8.2 overs. The spin duo of Chahal and Ashwin was expensive.
They were a net positive batting team in all phases of the innings. Even though Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal did not have huge seasons, the team was above par with the bat in the powerplay. In the first six overs, Sanju Samson had a strike rate of 145 and Jaiswal struck at 154. Buttler averaged 40 while scoring at under eight runs per over. If we look at his overall numbers, Buttler basically scored two match-winning tons, and a couple of 30s. But he was underwhelming apart from that.
The real game-changer for the Royals was their middle overs batting. Riyan Parag was a revelation. Along with Samson, he controlled the game in that phase. In the middle overs, Parag averaged 62 and had a strike rate of 147, while Samson averaged 43 at the same scoring rate. Both of them scored over 500 runs in the season – Parag had a strike rate of 149, while Samson was at 153.
The team was also above par at the death. Samson scored 2.1 runs per ball without being dismissed in the final four overs. Parag scored 92 off 50 and got out four times. Dhruv Jurel did not do that well, averaging 17 with a strike rate of 141 in this phase. Rovman Powell struck at 182 but averaged 16, while Shimron Hetmyer struck at 200 and got out thrice in 42 balls.
Rajasthan made it to the final in 2022, finished fifth in 2023, and reached the second qualifier this season. They have the second-best win/loss ratio since the previous mega auction, only behind Gujarat Titans. So in terms of consistency, it is fair to say that they were among the better sides in this time period. However, they do not have a title to show for it.
Kumar Sangakkara, RR’s team director, said after the season, “Rajasthan can be very proud of the side we’ve built, and I am personally extremely proud of everyone who played for us.”
If there is a mega auction ahead of next season, they have several choices to make in terms of Indian players like Samson, Jaiswal, Parag, and Chahal. Jurel could be another one for the future. Buttler should be a certainty among overseas players, while Boult and Hetmyer also have strong claims. They both perform rare roles: a dependable and incisive powerplay bowler and a finisher who can get going as soon as he comes in. RR might ideally like to retain both, but who they eventually end up with will depend on the next mega auction’s rules.
