Rajasthan Royals lead assistant coach Vikram Rathour conceded on 18 May that Mitchell Starc's brutal 15th over was the decisive moment in RR's five-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals, acknowledging the side were at least 20 runs short of a competitive total and that poor batting decisions in that single over ultimately cost them the match.

How the innings unravelled

RR were well-placed at 160/2 at the start of the 15th over before Starc ripped through the middle order, claiming three wickets in that one over alone. The collapse restricted RR to 193/8, a total DC chased down with four balls to spare. 'I completely agree. We were at least 20 runs short, if not more. I thought we were 160 in 14 overs and lost two wickets. From there, we should have got 220,' Rathour said at the post-match press conference.

'Again losing three wickets in one over doesn't help. So we could have been a bit smarter with our decisions we took in that over. That over definitely changed the result for us,' he added. On Starc specifically, Rathour noted: 'Obviously he's a world class bowler. But the kind of options we took in that over were poor. We could have done differently and given ourselves a little more time to get through that over.'

The Impact Player gamble that backfired

The decision to bring in batting allrounder Dasun Shanaka as the Impact Player drew considerable scrutiny, as it effectively ruled out deploying a frontline bowler — Ravi Bishnoi or Sushant Mishra were named among the substitutes — in the second innings. Rathour explained the logic: 'Our initial idea was to take 6 bowlers. But because we lost those wickets too quickly, we had to pick Dasun as an impact player. Otherwise, we had an option to pick a specialist bowler in the second innings.'

Shanaka contributed only 10 runs with the bat before being pressed into service as a fifth bowler despite not having bowled in his previous two outings. He delivered three tidy overs and dismissed DC's top-scorer KL Rahul, but his limited availability left RR short of flexibility in the death overs. The absence of veteran allrounder Ravindra Jadeja — rested due to a knee niggle, according to Rathour — further exposed the bowling unit's thin depth.

The Ferreira over and death-overs decision-making

With three overs remaining and Axar Patel and David Miller at the crease, RR turned to part-time offspinner Donovan Ferreira in the 18th over. Both batters hit a maximum each in a 16-run over, swinging momentum decisively in DC's favour. Rathour attributed such in-game calls to the captain: 'The decisions made internally are definitely taken by the captain. He is backing his gut and feeling at that stage.'

Captain Riyan Parag's own bowling was also limited, with Rathour acknowledging a recurring hamstring niggle — the same injury that had kept Parag out of RR's clash against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur. 'Riyan is also having a niggle with his hamstring. So I am not sure how comfortable he was bowling,' Rathour said.

Sooryavanshi's promise and the bigger picture

Before the collapse, teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had given RR a platform with a 21-ball 46, featuring well-timed boundaries before falling to a slower delivery from Madhav Tiwari. Rathour was quick to defend the youngster: 'I don't think slow ball is a weakness with Vaibhav. On a wicket where the ball is gripping a bit, change of pace is good against anybody. He's a special player and I'm sure a big innings is not too far off.'

The defeat leaves sixth-placed RR in a precarious position in the race for the playoffs, deepening what has become a familiar second-half wobble. Despite the setback, Rathour insisted the squad retains belief: 'Our belief is that if we are playing to our potential, we can defeat any team. We have to win both the remaining games and we have the belief in the group that we will win.'