Follow UsAhead of IPL 2025, the inaugural IPL champions had retained the hard-hitting West Indian finisher Shimron Hetmyer for INR 11 crore. It raised an eyebrow or two, considering the price at which the franchise had retained him.
The left-hander hasn’t yet had an impact on this season for the Royals, with just 176 runs, averaging 25.14 at a strike rate of 153.04, and one fifty. Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble insisted that Hetmyer needs the ‘right opportunity’ to showcase his talents.
Hope Sanju Samson Gets To Lead India At Some Point: Shimron Hetmyer
"Someone like Shimron Hetmyer, who's known as a finisher, needs to get the right opportunity. Ideally, we don't want a situation where he needs to go in when you need 13-14 runs and over. Might as well send him when you require 8 or 9 or 10. Your chances of winning are more," Kumble said on JioStar for “Revenge Week”.
However, the biggest difference for the Royals has been Sanju Samson’s absence, in whose absence the Royals have struggled as a batting unit.
"Missing Sanju Samson is a big thing. He is a key player for the Rajasthan Royals. Yashasvi batting well is certainly a good thing for them,” he added.
Kumble, however, insisted that the Royals missed a big trick by not retaining Jos Buttler, who has since moved to the Gujarat Titans. The right-handed batter has been in sizzling form for the 2023 IPL champions, amassing 356 runs and averaging 71.20.
"Jos Buttler was the key player for the Rajasthan Royals for a while. He was instrumental in single-handedly damaging the opposition," he said.
"I was a bit surprised that RR didn't retain him. However, with the team that they have, they should have won both the games. It happens. It's happened to many teams. You will sort of lose from a winning position. I am sure that's something that they will have to assess. Otherwise, they have the team,” Kumble added.
“It's not that they don't have the team to beat any side in this competition. It's just a matter of understanding that you don't leave the charge right till the end. Some teams can win from those situations. But when you are not doing it, you might as well think that you only have 19 overs to chase down rather than 20. That may sort of help Rajasthan," he concluded.