Jaipur, May 10 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side’s bowlers must evolve and think outside the box after another disappointing performance with the ball during their 77-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Rajasthan endured yet another difficult outing at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday as Gujarat piled up 229/4 before bowling the hosts out for 152 in 16.3 overs. It marked the fourth consecutive match in which Rajasthan conceded more than 200 runs, highlighting their ongoing struggles with the ball.

Speaking after the game, Bond expressed frustration over his side’s inability to adapt under pressure.

“We just haven’t played well enough in conditions that we know. We’ve been outplayed by our opposition,” Bond said in the post-match press conference.

“I look at bowlers, they just have to be better, right? You’ve got to think a bit outside the box. There are two things: decision-making and execution. I think tonight, you would have probably noticed that execution just wasn’t consistent enough for long enough,” he added.

Bond also pointed to the rapidly evolving nature of T20 batting, saying bowlers must continue developing new skills to survive in modern cricket.

“The batsmen, they’re coming out, they’re playing ultra-aggressive, and putting pressure on bowlers. So as a bowler, you’ve got to ask, well, ‘what can I do differently?” he said.

“They have got to spend more time with the analysts knowing exactly where each batsman’s going to score at. I may have to bowl off a shorter run and a longer run. I’ve got to be able to come around the wicket and bowl on both sides,” he added.

The former New Zealand fast bowler added that repeating the same methods while expecting different results was no longer sustainable in the IPL.

“When you see the bowlers are doing the same thing, game after game after game, getting the same result, then my question would be: you’ve got to be doing something different and developing your game,” Bond said.

“You look at batsmen now, they’re playing the uppercut, they’re reversing, they’re scooping. They’ve developed a range of shots. So a bowler has to develop their range of skills as well.”

Bond, however, believes the current high-scoring era also presents a major opportunity for bowlers willing to innovate and improve.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for any bowler to go: ‘if I can do that, then I can elevate myself into a lot of money and be a superstar’. I just don’t think you’ve consistently seen that across the board,” he added.

“It’s certainly not easy for the bowlers, but you can either fear it, fear what’s going on out there, or see it as an opportunity to get better and maybe put your name up in lights,” he added.

Gujarat’s innings was built around captain Shubman Gill’s 84 and Sai Sudharsan’s 55, while Rashid Khan later dismantled Rajasthan’s chase with figures of 4-33.

–IANS

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