Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag acknowledged that his team’s inability to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) spinners proved costly in their narrow 11-run loss at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Needing just 18 off the final two overs, RR crumbled under pressure. Josh Hazlewood bowled a game-changing penultimate over, conceding only a single run and dismissing both a set Dhruv Jurel and Jofra Archer in consecutive deliveries. Yash Dayal then defended 16 in the final over to seal the win for RCB.

This marks RR’s third consecutive loss while chasing, despite being in promising positions. In their previous two games against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, they failed to chase down nine runs in the final over.

While RCB’s pacers, barring Hazlewood, were expensive—going at more than 11 an over—their spinners tightened the screws. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma were especially effective, conceding just 31 runs each in their full quota of four overs. Krunal also picked up key wickets, including that of Parag with his very first delivery and Nitish Rana later.

“We bowled really well. It was a 210-220 kind of pitch, and we managed to restrict them,” Parag said in the post-match presentation. “At the halfway stage of our batting, we were well ahead. But we lacked intent against the spinners. We needed around 8.5 per over for the last 10–11 overs, and we let it slip. We didn’t execute our batting plans as well as we should have.”

Despite the pitch favoring stroke play against pace, RR’s most economical bowler turned out to be spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who returned figures of 1 for 30 with clever variations.

RR had blazed their way to 87 runs in the first seven overs, attacking RCB’s quicks. But once spin was introduced, the momentum dipped. Krunal struck with his first ball, and RR managed only two boundaries in a five-over stretch dominated by spin. Their required run rate climbed sharply—from 8.72 at the 10-over mark to over 11.5 by the time both spinners completed their spells.

Commenting on whether the struggle against spin was mental, Parag said, “The support staff gives us full freedom to play our game. The responsibility is on us as players to back that freedom with performances. In a tournament like this, even a small mistake can cost you the match—and that’s exactly what happened today.”

The defeat was RR’s fifth in a row, keeping them at eighth place on the points table with only two wins in nine matches. Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread—winning all five of their remaining matches may still not be enough to guarantee qualification.