Rajasthan Royals Star Labelled 'Villain' For 'Selfish' Act That Resulted In Loss vs Delhi Capitals

Rajasthan Royals batter Dhruv Jurel faced massive criticism for his 'selfish' act that fans believed led to their loss against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. Social media users were not happy with Jurel denying a run to Shimron Hetmyer in the final over of the match. Jurel and Hetmyer were at the crease with 9 runs needed in the final over but Mitchell Starc produced a stunning performance to take the match to Super Over. With 3 runs needed from 2 balls, Hetmyer played the ball through covers but Jurel did not come back for the second run. Replays showed that they could have finished two runs by the time the fielder completed the save and Jurel ultimately failed to score 2 runs in the final ball of the over.

Dhruv jurel wanted to be hero but becomes villian lol #DCvRR#RRvDCpic.twitter.com/NzCjUZi5VY

— Devendra 🇮🇳 (@Devendra786s) April 16, 2025

Following the loss, Jurel was roasted on social media with many fans calling him the 'villain'.

Absolute nonsense
Jurel being selfish & arrogant, not coming back for 2nd run cost RR the match
Was no-lose to come back, had he got run out still 2 to win but if he made it, which he defo would have, scores tied with ball left.
No wonder Hetmyer ignored him. Season over

— Jimmy Sloan (@JimmySloan20) April 16, 2025

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees and has also accumulated one demerit point for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team's match against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.

"Munaf Patel admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.20 - which pertains to the conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game - and accepted the Match Referee's sanction," the IPL said in a statement on Thursday.

"For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding," it added.

The incident occurred during Delhi's bowling when the fourth umpire reportedly stopped Delhi's reserve player from entering the field to convey Patel's message in the middle. The former India pacer was seen having an argument with the umpire while tying up his laces at the boundary line. The video of the incident went viral on social media.

Delhi Capitals completed a thrilling Super Over win after Mitchell Starc's spot-on performance with the ball. He not only defended nine in the last over against set batters Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer but also restricted Rajasthan to 11 runs in the Super Over.

KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs comfortably guided the home side to victory to register their first win of the season at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Starc was named Player of the Match for his power-packed bowling performance in the match. He returned with the figures of 1-36 in his four overs while he also snared two scalped in the Super Over.

The victory helped Delhi to reclaim the top spot with 10 points in six games and will take on Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

(With IANS inputs)