Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals captain, admitted after their loss to Delhi Capitals on Sunday that they are not playing well. "If we keep on playing like this, we shouldn't be in contention for the top four," was his candid analysis of his team.
But what exactly is the Royals' problem? It seems Parag is yet to find the answer to that. He said the Royals were not up to the mark "energy-wise, skill-wise, execution-wise" against the Capitals. But with just two more matches left, Parag, as the skipper, will need to be more specific, not publicly but at least in his mind.
The Royals are on 12 points and their road to the playoffs looks treacherous. They take on Lucknow Super Giants at home on Tuesday and they simply can't lose. If they choose to look at the positives, it is in the fact that they have a chance to add four points to their tally and being on 16 increases their chances of qualification by a great extent.
The Super Giants are not in the race for the playoffs and that's exactly why they are dangerous. They upset the Chennai Super Kings in their last match. So the Royals need to be on high alert.