Rajasthan Royals have undoubtedly cemented themselves as a new-age stalwart in the IPL over the past few years. But, the inaugural champions of the tournament from back in 2008, are yet to reach the promised land once again as they remain lost in translation. Can the Royals perhaps break away from the monotony this time around and reach the peak again?
Whilst they usually build on a well-rounded team, that is flourishing with exciting talent, they end up falling short of their expected potential. But, by retaining a majority of their XI from last year’s squad that was rife with experience and proven talent, while acquiring even more lively players in their recent auction, they will look to stake their claim and take their shot at the title yet again.
The Royals did quite a bit of smart business in the auctions. On top of retaining core players such as the likes of skipper Sanju Samson, IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal, the wily veteran spinster R Ashwin, and the ever-evolving enigma Yashasvi Jaiswal amongst more, the Royals also strengthened all aspects of their team with their buys.
Players to Watch Out For:
Yashasvi Jaiswal: Given Jaiswal’s rise to stardom and his obliterating form, one can bet that the youngster will more than hold his weight in the batting order. But, the additions of Donovan Ferreira and Rovman Powell will also enable the team not to tie all hopes on the Indian batter, and provide the Royals with yet much more firepower in their batting ranks.
Rovman Powell: Enough can’t be said about RR’s biggest rope-in this season, Rovman Powell. The swashbuckling West Indies all-rounder possesses true match-winning potential, both with the bat and the ball, and can prove to be a lethal weapon for Rajasthan to store in their arsenal.
Nandre Burger: To round things off and add a bit of zip to their side, Nandre Burger might just do the trick. The South African pacer has been a revelation for his national side, making his debut across all formats in the past year. Tagging him along with the likes of an experienced veteran such as Trent Boult would be an interesting sight to behold for the spectators, but perhaps not their opposition.
Avesh Khan: Much can also be expected from the Royals’ new trade asset Avesh Khan, who was acquired by Rajasthan Royals before the IPL 2024 auction, in a trade swap involving Devdutt Padikkal, from Lucknow Super Giants.
Avesh has achieved major success in the IPL, especially in his debut season back in 2021, where he scalped 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals, prompting LSG to splurge Rs 10 crore in the following season to acquire him. But he seemed to have hit a bit of a slump last season at LSG, scalping just 8 wickets in 9 matches. For Avesh, the new lease of life here in RR can prove to be the opportunity he needs to get back to his best form and aid the team in filling the void that remains due to the absence of RR’s strike bowler Prasidh Krishna.
How They Fared Last Season:
The tale of the Royals is a fascinating one. One may say that Rajasthan, for the talent they possessed, had a mediocre season last year. After being bested by Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans in the final of the 2022 season, the Men in Pink fell just short of the playoff spot last year, as they broke even with 7 wins and 7 losses.
RR’s Strongest XI:
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan
Full Squad:
Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler*, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Rathore, Donovan Ferreira*, Tom Kohler-Cadmore*, Shimron Hetmyer *, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Rovman Powell, *Shubham Dubey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Abid Mushtaq, Trent Boult*, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Zampa*, Nandre Burger*, Avesh Khan.
Rajasthan Royals’ Fixtures:
The Royals will kick off their season this year against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their opening match on Sunday, March 24 at home, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Match 4: Rajasthan Royals v Lucknow Super Giants, Sunday, March 24, 3.30pm, Jaipur
Match 9: Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Capitals, Thursday, March 28, 7.30pm, Jaipur
Match 14: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals, Monday, April 1, 7.30pm, Mumbai
Match 19: Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunday, April 7, 3.30pm, Jaipur
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