RR Use Short Balls to Inflict CSK Suffering in IPL 2025
Rajasthan Royals used a masterful short-ball tactic to crush Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2025 match. Their bowling attack exposed CSK's batting vulnerabilities, resulting in an easy win. The strategic move left CSK at a loss to respond to RR's non-stop bowling onslaught.
In the IPL, success has always been so much about making a solid platform with the new ball. The same is the case this time around. Teams that emerged victorious in the first 11 matches of IPL 2025 scored at a rapid rate of 11.16 per over during powerplay. They lost only 10 wickets with an average of 73.7. Teams losing were able to muster only 9.21 runs per over and lose 22 wickets for an average of 27.63.
No one has lingered longer at the start of their innings than Chennai Super Kings. Five-time winners Super Kings have walked too slowly in powerplay. In their first three games, they could manage 7.44 runs per over through the first six overs. This is the poorest of all 10 teams and well below the tournament average of 10.18 for the entire tournament. The powerplay average for the first 11 games of this season has been 61 runs. But CSK has averaged just 45 runs.
One of the key reasons for CSK's failure is that they are susceptible to short balls early in the innings. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar used this tactic when Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated CSK in Chennai. On Sunday, Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande used the same tactic. They made it really difficult for CSK to find runs as they bowled short balls. Because of this, CSK could only score 16/1 in the first four overs. They were at 42/1 at the end of the powerplay. This put them in pressure because the required run rate exceeded 10 runs an over.
Rajasthan Royals fast bowlers bowled 20 short balls during powerplay and gave only 25 runs. The best among them was the wicket of Rachin Ravindra. CSK batsmen tried to pull seven short balls but were able to time them properly only once. Out of seven such attempts, six were slog shots. They managed to hit only two fours and a six.
Since the start of IPL 2023, most CSK batsmen have not been that great against short balls in the first six overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway only have played that well in that situation. Conway is not, however, a part of the team right now, as CSK has played Rachin Ravindra as an opener. Because of that, CSK's batting against short-pitched bowling has even been worse.
Overall, CSK batsmen have a strike rate of a mere 121.90 for short balls during the powerplay in all T20 cricket since 2023. This is lowest for all IPL franchises in 2025. The overall strike rate for batsmen of other teams in the same period is 145.74 combined. This proves that CSK's vulnerability towards short balls is an enormous problem, and others are taking advantage.
