Rajasthan Royals (RR) have come under the spotlight amid allegations of match-fixing following their unexpected defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 36 of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). Jaideep Bihani, convener of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) ad hoc committee, has raised concerns about possible foul play, casting doubts over the team’s narrow loss.
Chasing a target of 181, the Sanju Samson-led RR needed just nine runs in the final over with six wickets in hand. However, in a surprising turn of events, they fell short by two runs, as LSG’s Avesh Khan delivered a remarkable final over, securing victory for his team with brilliant death-over bowling.
The loss left Jaideep Bihani visibly disappointed, as he questioned how the Rajasthan Royals could let the match slip away on their own ground despite needing just a few runs for victory. In a conversation with News18 Rajasthan, Bihani didn’t hold back from referencing the team’s murky past, bringing up the infamous 2013 spot-fixing scandal involving RR players.
Bihani highlighted Raj Kundra’s involvement in a betting scandal that led to Rajasthan Royals’ two-season ban. He urged the BCCI to investigate the recent match and also alleged that the Rajasthan Cricket Association was unfairly excluded from IPL hosting duties.
Jaideep Bihani, in an interview, expressed frustration over the Rajasthan Sports Council taking charge of IPL hosting, despite RCA’s successful track record.
“The ad hoc committee has been appointed by the state government in Rajasthan. After analysing our work, we were given an extension for the fifth time. During our tenure, we’ve conducted all competitions successfully right from the district level to the national level. However, as soon as the time for hosting IPL came, the Sports Council took control of it. For IPL, the BCCI had first sent a letter to RCA only. The excuse given by Sports Council and RR was that we don’t have an MOU from Sawai Mansingh Stadium. If MOU is not there, so what? Aren’t you paying Sports Council for every match?,” Bihani said.
Rajasthan Royals failed to score nine runs in the last over against Delhi Capitals (DC), despite having seven wickets in hand, and lost in the super over. After their fourth consecutive defeat, they sit eighth on the points table with just two wins from eight matches. They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 24 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.