On Thursday, May 1, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) will play in Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rahul Dravid, the head coach of RR, said prior to the match that the club is more concerned with winning the games they have left than with securing a postseason berth.
With just three victories, RR is now ranked ninth in the IPL 2025 points standings. The Men in Pink have had a difficult season thus far. The former Indian cricket player underlined that the team is still dedicated to nurturing up-and-coming talent and isn’t just looking to the future when playing in the competition. The Indian veteran made the point that the management still believes in its players’ ability to succeed in the long run.
It’s a close competition. It is possible for teams from the bottom to defeat those at the top. The margins are narrow. We’re taking each game as it comes, even though we know that we’re in a precarious position with only six points. Instead than caring about the table, the goal is to win the next match. We didn’t start the season with simply the future in mind, although keeping an eye on the long run by keeping young Indian players.
We think we have a chance to win this year. We’re not using our long-term perspective as an excuse, even though the outcomes haven’t always gone our way. Only minor setbacks have harmed us because we’ve been competitive. Rahul Dravid told Star Sports, “The players we supported are part of our vision for the future, but they are also good enough to win now.”
Fantastic chance for young people: Rahul Dravid
Regardless of the outcome, the young players have maintained their composure and continued to train appropriately, according to the Wall of Cricket. The head coach went on to say that the game against MI gives the kids a fantastic chance to show off their abilities against the elite talent MI offers in the IPL.
“This young group’s composure, win or lose, is what I’ve been proud of. Even after a strong showing, such as Vaibhav’s most recent game, we haven’t raised too much of an internal fuss because we have trained and prepared properly throughout. The game tomorrow presents another chance—a significant one—against the formidable Mumbai Indians. Our children find it thrilling to compete against such a high calibre of talent. The 52-year-old added, “I hope they’ll be able to put on a good show.”