Vaibhav Suryavanshi's money attacked after Rajasthan Royals crash out of IPL 2025

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cricketer Abhinav Mukund expressed disappointment with the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) auction strategy following their loss to the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025. Mukund said that the franchise should not have bought Indian batters like Nitish Rana and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

The inaugural winners suffered a 100-run defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) at home on May 1 and are out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs. Sandeep Sharma and Wanindu Hasaranga were ruled out of the match. Mumbai, led by Hardik Pandya, posted a mammoth total of 217/2 after being asked to bat first.

Their Indian Pick Did Not Go Well - Abhinav Mukund

Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, Abhinav Mukund slammed the Rajasthan Royals for buying Nitish Rana and Vaibhav. He said that the money spent on these players could have been better utilized elsewhere.

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"Their one good bowler, the one they have spent most money on, is Archer. Unfortunately, their Indian pick did not go well," Abhinav Mukund said on ESPN Cricinfo.

"Tushar Deshpande, who was benched for this particular game, was bought for a lot of money (INR 6.75 crore). Then again, you had three plus one something that you invested in two more Indian batters, Nitish Rana and Vaibhav Suryavanshi," he added.

I Would Have Still Not Bought Vaibhav Suryavanshi - Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund said that RR could have better invested in strengthening the team’s bowling attack rather than in Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Nitish Rana. He added that bowlers like Avesh Khan, Chahal, Ashwin, Trent Boult, and Sandeep Sharma were the reason behind RR's success in previous seasons.

"How much ever I think, I would have still not bought Vaibhav Suryavanshi for INR 1.1 crore, and Nitish Rana for INR 3 crore (INR 4.2 crore)," Mukund continued.

"I would have invested that money in a couple of good bowlers. Look at their bowling last year, forget the big names, you still got Avesh Khan, Chahal, Ashwin, Trent Boult, and Sandeep Sharma, these are five bankable proper bowlers," he added.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi Dismissed for Duck in RR vs MI IPL 2025 Match

Rajasthan Royals' Indian seamers, including Tushar Deshpande, Yudhvir Singh, and Akash Madhwal, failed to perform. The franchise couldn't secure experienced Indian spinners and bought Kumar Kartikeya. Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga's inclusion further disrupted their team balance.

Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was promoted to the playing XI after Sanju Samson's injury. He had impressed with cameo knocks before scoring a century against the Gujarat Titans (GT). However, Vaibhav was dismissed for a duck in the very first over during the IPL 2025 match against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Rajasthan Royals have allowed over 200 runs in three consecutive matches. They will play their next match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, May 4.

There is uncertainty over Sanju Samson's return to the team for the upcoming matches, and in his absence, Riyan Parag is leading the team.

Also read: "Don't buy superstars"- RR's Dishant Yagnik rips apart Mumbai Indians