Explained: Why RR Have Made It A Habit To Choke In Tricky IPL 2025 Run-Chases

Jatin

Rajasthan Royals bottled another chase [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]Rajasthan Royals bottled another chase [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

From title contenders to serial bottlers, Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2025 season has spiralled into chaos. After Thursday’s 11-run heartbreak against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Riyan Parag-led side has now lost five matches in a row, including three chases from absolutely winning positions.

The table may still say they are “mathematically alive” but RR’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread thinner than a spider’s web. So, what exactly is going wrong? Let’s analyze why Rajasthan Royals have failed to chase total in 3 successive matches.

The Final Overs Have Become A Graveyard

In their last three games, RR have fumbled every single chase at the death. Whether it is 23 off 12, 25 off 18, or 18 off 12, they have made a meal of all of them. There is a pattern here: panic, poor shot selection and a complete meltdown under pressure.

It’s not that RR haven’t gotten into good positions. They have. But once they get close, the batters freeze, the nerves kick in and the finishing line becomes a mirage. No team chasing 180+ should lose with 8 wickets in hand and 3 overs to go but RR have made that a habit.

Lack Of A Seasoned Finisher

There is no finisher in that RR lineup who screams reliability. Shimron Hetmyer has been hot and cold. Riyan Parag is still learning the ropes as captain. Dhruv Jurel has had his moments but he is young and not yet the go-to guy under pressure, which has been evident in the last three matches.

There is no one with the experience like MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya or David Miller. No one to ice games like it’s second nature. And when no one takes charge in crunch time, chaos takes over.

Too Many Brain Fades, Too Little Intent

In the game vs DC, RR needed 23 off 12 balls with 7 wickets in hand, a cakewalk in modern T20. But somehow, they let it slip into a tie and lost the Super Over. In the following match against LSG, they had 25 to get from 18 balls with 8 wickets in hand, and still lost.

Against RCB, chasing 206, they were 189/6 in 18.3 overs. All they needed was 18 off 12 balls. But the moment Jurel got out, the innings just fell apart like a deck of cards.

The shot selection has been questionable, the intent lacking and the urgency—nonexistent. Too much waiting, too little daring.

Pressure And Inexperience At The Top

Yes, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag have had good knocks. But they are still figuring things out at this level. Parag, now carrying the added burden of captaincy in Sanju Samson’s absence, hasn’t quite found the right tempo. Jaiswal has either exploded or perished early. There is no calm head guiding the chase, who can anchor the innings and it shows in the final overs.

A team can’t rely solely on quick starts; you need finishers who can handle fire. Right now, RR’s batting order looks full of promise but short on poise.

The Morale Is Clearly Shot

Five losses in a row. Three painful chokes back-to-back. That is not just bad luck, that is mental baggage. RR players are stepping out to bat with a mountain on their shoulders. And it is showing in the way they are approaching the chases: tight, tentative and timid.

Every missed run, every dot ball is weighing heavier now. The confidence is drained. You can’t win chases when you are second-guessing yourself every ball.

The Royals have all but blown their IPL 2025 campaign and they have done it in the most frustrating way possible by repeatedly tripping over the finish line. They now need to win all five remaining games to have even a remote shot at qualification.

If they don’t fix their chasing woes now, they will go down as the side that lost the playoffs not because they weren’t good enough but because they forgot how to finish.