IPL 2025: Why did Riyan Parag choose Sandeep Sharma for 20th over instead of Jofra Archer against MS Dhoni?

Riyan Parag made a bold call to give Sandeep Sharma the crucial last over of the edge-of-the-seat Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, March 30.

After opting to bowl first, CSK pulled things back nicely towards the end of the first innings after Rajasthan Royals amassed 129/3 in their first 12 overs. The last eight overs yielded just 53 runs for the home side. Nitish Rana stood out for the Royals as he amassed 81 off just 36 deliveries. Parag also contributed with a 28-ball 37. Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, and Matheesha Pathirana bagged two wickets apiece for CSK.

Ruturaj Gaikwad held the CSK innings together, even as Rajasthan kept picking wickets from the other end. The right-handed batter departed for 63 off 44 balls, falling prey to Wanindu Hasaranga, who finished with excellent figures of 4/35 on the night.

MS Dhoni promoted himelf to No. 7 in the batting order, with the Men in Yellow needing 54 runs to win off the last 25 balls. The 43-year-old forged a partnership with Ravindra Jadeja as CSK fans had their tails up. In the last two overs, CSK needed 39 runs for the win.

Parag had one over left for each of his three pacers - Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep Sharma. Instead of going for Archer and Sandeep, who are more experienced bowlers at the death, Parag handed the ball to Deshpande. The Mumbai pacer conceded three boundaries in the over, with Dhoni hitting a four and a six.

With 20 runs needed in the last over, and when Archer, who conceded just 13 runs in his first three overs and also picked up the wicket of the dangerous Rachin Ravindra, had an over left, Parag opted to give the ball to Sandeep. The experienced pacer started with a wide but bounced back strongly to dismiss Dhoni off the next ball. Shimron Hetmyer took a phenomenal catch at deep mid-wicket to send Dhoni packing.

Why Riyan Parag gave 20th over to Sandeep Sharma?

There is no doubt about Sandeep's acumen as a bowler in the death overs. He can nail the yorkers and also change his pace to bamboozle the batters. However, he also has the experience of closing out matches with Dhoni in the opposition.

It is interesting to note that Sandeep had defended 21 runs in the last over against CSK in IPL 2023 in Dhoni's 200th IPL game.

Meanwhile, Parag explained his feelings after picking up his first win in the IPL as a captain. He also mentioned the reason why he opted not to bowl Archer at the death.

"(On how he feels after his first win as captain) Took a lot of time, just two games, but felt really long. We still think we were 20 short. We lost a couple of wickets quickly (in the middle overs). But we bowled really well. We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games, come with a fresh mindset and have a good game collectively," Parag said after the match.

"(On Archer not bowling out) Just assessing the situation, luckily had seven options. Went with the gut feeling. Fielding always makes up for the runs we were short. We are working a lot with Dishant Yagnik, our fielding coach, and it is paying off," he added.