Ravi Bishnoi's confidence hit after Rajasthan Royals benching in 2026 IPL

Ravi Bishnoi was dropped by Rajasthan Royals after his wicket-taking form declined in the 2026 IPL season.

Bishnoi's recent struggles Ravi Bishnoi started the 2026 IPL season strongly but saw his wicket-taking form drop sharply. In his first four matches for Rajasthan Royals (RR), he claimed nine wickets, but in the next four games, he managed just two wickets while conceding 115 runs in 11 overs, posting an economy rate of 10.45. This decline led to his exclusion from the team's match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Tuesday. Instead, RR turned to 19-year-old legspinner Yash Raj Punja, who had shared the field with Bishnoi in a previous loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), finishing with figures of 1 for 25 from his four overs, while Bishnoi returned 1 for 41 in that game. ## Experts weigh in on the decision Piyush Chawla, another legspinner and the fourth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history despite not playing since 2024, expressed surprise at Bishnoi's exclusion, stating, 'I thought he was in good form.' Abhinav Mukund disagreed with naming Punja over Bishnoi, arguing, 'I'm not too much in agreement with the Yash Raj call, because I believe firmly that teams who have been successful over a period of time in the IPL have maintained a core of bowlers, or Indian players. And especially when Ravi Bishnoi has bowled well. If you're going to drop him for another leggie, that's going to dent his confidence massively.' ## Punja's impact on the pitch Yash Raj Punja proved his worth for RR against PBKS, taking two of the four wickets to fall and conceding 41 runs from his four overs. His performance helped RR chase down a target of 223 runs, winning the match with four balls remaining. The decision to bench Bishnoi in favor of Punja was put under scrutiny after Punja's standout display. ## Bishnoi's journey before RR Bishnoi joined RR this season after a tough stint with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025, where he managed only nine wickets in 11 innings at an economy rate of 10.83. However, his earlier IPL seasons from 2020 to 2024 were far more productive, with wicket tallies of 12, 12, 13, 16, and 10, alongside economy rates of 7.37, 6.34, 8.44, 7.74, and 8.77 respectively. Between 2022 and 2024, he featured in 37 of his 44 T20I matches. ## Bishnoi's own perspective Reflecting on his performance, Bishnoi admitted, 'Last season was difficult. But I tried to stick to my processes. I had one weakness: if my length was wrong then I was getting hit for fours and sixes.' He added, 'That's what I was trying [to rectify]. I played a whole season of domestic cricket and worked on perfecting my lengths. Hitting my lengths made it difficult for batters - when I was too full I got hit today too.' He emphasized focusing on mental, technical, and physical improvements, noting, 'Mental, technical and physical.. [I worked on] all three [aspects]. I've been putting the physical work too, in off-season, between games and in domestic.' ## Reactions to Bishnoi's release from LSG Abhinav Mukund acknowledged that LSG's decision to release Bishnoi after IPL 2025 was not a mistake, stating, '[LSG] didn't make [a mistake in releasing him], Ravi Bishnoi was bowling badly at that point.' However, he suggested RR may have been too harsh on Bishnoi this season, adding, 'I don't think he's had a bad season this year.'