Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid acknowledged on Friday (April 18) that the team's death bowling has been a concern in the ongoing IPL 2025 season.

Despite this, he expressed confidence in his bowlers' ability to improve execution in future matches. The team conceded over 70 runs in the last five overs against both Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals.

Dravid stated, "We suffered a little bit with our death bowling. We conceded 77 in the last five, in the last game. The game earlier, we conceded 72." He emphasised that while their plans are solid, execution needs improvement.

Death Bowling Challenges

The Royals aim to end a three-match losing streak against the Super Giants on Saturday. Improving their bowlers' performance in the final overs is crucial for achieving this goal. Dravid noted that conceding 57-60 runs in the last five overs is acceptable, but they have been allowing 72-77 runs.

He highlighted that a few extra boundaries have been costly and stressed the need for better execution. "But it is more an execution issue. I think the quality is there," Dravid added.

Strategic Decisions

The decision to use Sandeep Sharma instead of Jofra Archer for the Super Over against Delhi Capitals surprised many. Additionally, sending Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer raised eyebrows. Dravid took responsibility for these decisions, made with inputs from Sanju Samson and other coaches.

"The decisions are being made by me and with Sanju Samson being an integral part of that and consultation with our other coaches and our analyst team," Dravid explained. He expressed confidence in his support team and their decision-making process.

Team Dynamics

The departure of key players like Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal required RR to adapt to new combinations at the top order and spin attack. Dravid remarked, "See, it's not like that. If you see our opening partnership, they have given us quite good performances."

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson have been performing well as openers, providing explosive starts even in recent games. Unfortunately, Samson's injury forced him to retire hurt, but Dravid maintained confidence in other batters.

Auction Adjustments

Dravid acknowledged that changes are inevitable during big auctions as teams cannot always retain the same players. "Auctions have some rules and you have to follow them," he said, explaining that unlike state teams, IPL teams must adhere to auction regulations.Dravid acknowledged that changes are inevitable during big auctions as teams cannot always retain the same players. "Auctions have some rules and you have to follow them," he said, explaining that unlike state teams, IPL teams must adhere to auction regulations.