Ex-New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull has raised some serious questions about how the Rajasthan Royals approached their second game in IPL 2025 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was puzzled about the team’s choice to send Shimron Hetmyer out to bat at No. 8 when their main batsmen had already been dismissed. It was during Wednesday’s match in Guwahati when Rajasthan decided to bring in Shubham Dubey as the impact substitute instead of letting Hetmyer bat higher up in the order.
Doull couldn’t help but wonder why Rajasthan seemed to be holding back Hetmyer. He pointed out that they had kept him on for a whopping 11 crore, yet he ended up batting at the lower end instead of taking a more crucial position like No. 3 or No. 4, which is where he usually bats for his Guyana team. While chatting on Cricbuzz, Doull criticized the decision, saying, Why are they protecting Shimron Hetmyer? What was the money they retained him for? In the first couple of games, there have been strategies and decisions that just don’t make sense to me.
This move to send Dubey in first actually backfired on Rajasthan. They opted to use their impact substitute early in the innings, which left them with a weakened bowling lineup for the second half of the game. You could see the implications of that strategy when Quinton de Kock put on an impressive performance, finishing the match with 97 not out. He played on a tricky Barsapara pitch and really anchored Kolkata’s chase, leading them to a solid eight-wicket win over Rajasthan.
Kolkata decided to bowl first, and their disciplined bowling attack did a great job. Players like Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali restricted Rajasthan to a mere 151 runs for 9 wickets, which wasn’t enough. De Kock’s innings included a total of eight fours and six sixes, showing how well he timed the ball, even on a tough pitch. The chase felt comfortable throughout, with Kolkata maintaining the required run rate hovering just around a run per ball. They wrapped things up in the 18th over, showcasing how important it is to make the right calls in critical moments of the game.
