He took the wicket of Rachin Ravindra in his opening spell.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) might have escaped with a six-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati. But they made things a lot harder than they needed to—by not using their best bowler when it mattered most.
Jofra Archer was at his sharpest on Sunday evening. After two expensive outings to start the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025—conceding over 100 runs in 6.3 overs—Archer bounced back with a superb opening spell: 3-1-13-1. It included the prized scalp of Rachin Ravindra, CSK’s best batter in the first two games. He was fast, accurate, and looked in complete control.
With CSK needing 39 off 12 balls and MS Dhoni still at the crease, Archer wasn’t handed the ball. First came Tushar Deshpande’s 19-run over, which brought the target down to a very gettable 20 off the final over. Even then, Archer was held back. Instead, the Royals turned to Sandeep Sharma. He had done well at the death last season, but was now up against one of the greatest finishers ever.
Even if well past his prime, Dhoni is brutal against medium pacers in the death overs. With someone like Archer in their attack, it was bizarre to see him go unused on one of his best days.
It nearly backfired too. The first ball of the final over was a wide. The very next, Dhoni mistimed a big shot and holed out. A huge moment that bailed RR out. Jamie Overton still managed a six later in the over, but Sandeep held his nerve, and the Royals got home.
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Still, the decision not to bowl Archer in the death, despite his form, rhythm, and pace, raises eyebrows. Was Archer unavailable for a fourth over? He was seen fielding off the penultimate ball of the final over, running around pretty easily. So then, why would RR gamble with anyone else when the game hung in the balance? We await a response from someone in the RR camp.
“I think Sandeep Sharma has bowled a similar over to MS Dhoni before. That might have played a role in RR giving Sandeep the ball. He has been their go-to death bowler for RR for a while. He’s very, very experienced. His yorker dips on the batsman. It’s very difficult to put it away,” Ambati Rayudu explained after the game on JioHotstar.
In fact, RR had turned to Sandeep in a similar situation during the 2023 IPL season—also against Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. With 21 needed off the final over, Dhoni hit Sandeep for two sixes off his second and third deliveries. But the bowler held his nerve superbly.
He closed the match by conceding three singles in the final three balls. It included a perfect yorker off the last delivery when Dhoni needed six to win. RR won that game by three runs, and that moment played a part in the trust shown in him again.
All said and done, it was still a huge risk to go with a medium pacer to Dhoni and Jadeja when you have someone of Archer’s capabilities waiting to bowl.
Given Archer’s history as a world-class death bowler and his form on the night, not giving him one of the last two overs against MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja felt like playing with fire. Rajasthan won, yes. But it was a call that could’ve easily gone the other way.
If Jofra Archer was fully fit and available, RR were lucky to get away with it.
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