Kolkata Knight Riders returned to form on Wednesday in Guwahati, securing a decisive victory over Rajasthan Royals in their second match of the IPL 2025 season. This win marked a turnaround for the defending champions, while the 2008 champions found themselves at the bottom of the standings after suffering their second consecutive defeat, leading to criticism of coach Rahul Dravid for the team's performance.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull expressed his concerns regarding the decision to bat Shimron Hetmyer at No. 8, despite the fact that he was retained for INR 11 crore due to his batting prowess. Doull pointed out that Hetmyer typically bats at No. 3 or 4 in the Caribbean Premier League.

"Why are you holding back Hetmyer? What was the rationale behind retaining him for 11 crore? He batted at number eight. In Guyana, he plays at three or four. You risk pigeonholing him into a role as merely a finisher, which is absurd. He is a batsman, and by sending in your impact substitute prematurely, you are mismanaging your resources. There has been some poor planning from Rajasthan in the initial matches, along with various strategies and decisions that I fundamentally disagree with," he stated.

Doull further criticized the decision to use Shubham Dubey as an impact substitute, who managed only nine runs off 12 balls against KKR, suggesting that he should have been utilized after Hetmyer and Jofra Archer.

"What if Hetmyer had batted at 5 or 6, scored some runs, and formed a partnership with Dhruv Jurel? Suddenly, Dubey's contribution of nine from 12 would be unnecessary. Then Archer could come in and hit those sixes. You should ideally use Hetmyer and Archer before resorting to your impact substitute as a batsman. This approach would allow you to bring in your other spin bowler," he concluded.

'How much of a difference is Hetmyer going to make if he's...?'

Former England cricketer Nick Knight expressed his concerns to ESPNCricinfo regarding the utilization of Hetmyer in the match against Kolkata. 

"I fail to understand the rationale. When you sign Hetmyer, you are aware of his capabilities. He is a world-class international batsman. You bring him on board to influence the game, to change its course, and to make a significant impact. How can he make that impact if he is relegated to a lower batting position?" he questioned.

Veteran Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu also believed that Rajasthan made an error by not promoting Hetmyer in the batting order on a pitch where he could have excelled. 

"He is adept at playing spin and has demonstrated his proficiency on slower surfaces. In the Caribbean and even during the CPL, the pitches are often similar to some of those venues. Therefore, I think they missed an opportunity there," he remarked.

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