Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid defended Dhruv Jurel after the team’s sixth loss while chasing in the Indian Premier League 2025. The Royals have only managed to win one out of seven matches this season, with that lone victory coming against Gujarat Titans on April 28.
On Sunday, they fell short once again, this time aiming for 220 runs. Despite starting strong, the team couldn’t keep it together. The middle order continues to struggle, failing to finish games that looked winnable. Jurel faced criticism for his performance, but Dravid stood by him, saying the young wicketkeeper-batter had handled pressure well all season.
Every time he’s come in, he’s been chasing over 13 runs an over, which is tough, Dravid said after the game. He played well, especially when we lost wickets in the middle. It wasn’t like he came in needing 7 an over and didn’t manage. It’s always much higher than that. I believe Jurel has contributed a lot from the No. 5 spot, which isn’t easy.
Dravid is hopeful about the future of the team’s young talent, which has faced its share of criticism this season. He pointed out that many of the players will be gaining international experience soon and expects them to grow ahead of IPL 2026.
We’ve seen the potential — today, Jaiswal, Vaibhav, Jurel, even Sanju and Riyan showed good batting. We have a talented group of young batsmen who will only improve in a year, he added.
Despite a great start from openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who put together a 50-run partnership in just three overs, the Royals were unable to keep the momentum and ended up with 209 runs in their chase of 220 against Punjab Kings.