RR vs DC: Here's why Jadeja batted ahead of Ferreira
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag has explained the rationale behind promoting Ravindra Jadeja over Donovan Ferreira in their recent 2026 Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals. The decision, he said, was two-fold: to create a left-right combination and to set the stage for finishers to capitalize on the pacers during death overs. "It was actually lefty-righty as well," Parag said about the decision. Notably, Parag himself scored a fine 90 off just 50 balls.
Game plan
Wanted to delay Jadeja's entry a little bit: Parag
Parag further elaborated on their strategy, saying they wanted to delay Jadeja's entry a little bit and score some runs from the spinners before unleashing their seamers. He said, "There was what, eight-nine overs to go. We wanted to delay it [entry point] a little bit and just get a few eight-nine [runs] an over from the spinners and then go from ball one when the seamers started to bowl. So I feel that was the plan."
Match details
Ferreira and Jadeja powered RR
When RR lost Dhruv Jurel in the 12th over, Jadeja arrived and scored a quickfire 20 off 14 balls, helping him and Parag stitch a 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Then, Ferreira came in and smashed an explosive 47* off just 14 balls. The duo helped RR score a whopping 78 runs in the last five overs of their innings, taking them to a total of 225 runs.
Score assessment
'We let DC get away too easily with boundaries'
Despite the high score, Parag could not defend their total. He said, "I think it was a good score. I honestly felt 200 was somewhere on par. It was going to slow down a bit, but I think we could have bowled way better in the middle overs." The captain admitted they let DC get away too easily with boundaries in one over and repeated mistakes.
Injury status
Parag provides update on his condition
During the chase, Parag was seen getting off the field due to what looked like cramps. He was seen stretching beyond the boundary line but there are no injury concerns at this stage. "Yeah, hopefully it's not too serious," he said about his condition. "but, a little bit on the hamstring. Thankfully we've got like a week break, so hopefully I recover." RR's next game is against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur on May 9.