Rajasthan Royals captain Ryan Prag (ANI Photo)
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar What has started the severe criticism of Rajasthan Royals The captain Ryan PragueA tactical call to concede the 18th over to Donovan Ferreira in their IPL 2026 clash against Delhi Capitals, calling it a “suicide move” that changed the course of the match. Gavaskar did not hold back in his assessment of the decision, explaining why he felt the move was ill-timed and not appropriate for the match situation. He first questioned the strategy behind the bowling change, saying, “Giving Donovan Ferreira the ball to bowl the 18th over was suicidal. You’re bringing a slow bowler on the pitch and he was given no help. He was just bowling in the slot. It was his first over of the match,” Gavaskar said on JioStar. He then highlighted Ferreira’s plight in the game, adding, “He even scored a golden duck with the bat. Sometimes you have to see where the luck is going on the day.” Gavaskar emphasized that form and confidence should have played a key role in the decision, “If he had scored 40 or 50 runs and had more confidence, it would have made sense to give him the over. But he got out on the first ball, and you gave him the ball anyway.” He explained the over’s impact on the outcome of the match: “They conceded 16 runs in that over, and the match was over. Finally, he criticized the RR skipper’s wider strategy: “Ryan Parag could have handed the ball to a proper bowler, a regular bowler. Even if that bowler gave away 20 runs, that’s not the point. The point is, at this crucial stage, it was Rajasthan Rajasthan’s decision to bowl Donovan Ferreira.” The comments came after a dramatic contest where RR fell from a commanding position. Rajasthan were reaching 160/2 in 14 overs and looked set for a total of 220-plus before that. Mitchell Starc triggered a spectacular transformation. Mitchell Starc tore through RR’s middle and lower order to take a match-defining 4/40, while Langi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari added crucial hits as the innings collapsed to 193/8. Earlier, RR were bolstered by strong partnerships from Vibhu Suryavanshi (46 off 21), Dhruv Jorrell (53) and Ryan Prag (51 off 26), who carried the attack to Delhi and pushed RR into a dominant position. Parag’s aggressive phase had led RR to a strong scoring rate, but Starc’s late burst completely turned the game around, with Rajasthan losing successive wickets. In reply, Delhi Capitals made a light show of chasing. Abhishek Poral (51 off 31) and KL Rahul (56 off 42) put together a 105-run opening stand, before Akshar Patel’s unbeaten 34 and Ashutosh Sharma’s quick cameo sealed victory in 19.2 overs. The result lifted Delhi Capitals to seventh place with 12 points, keeping their playoff hopes alive, while Rajasthan Royals were left to reflect on a costly tactical gamble that has now come under heavy scrutiny.
