The Indian Premier League is in its seventeenth season, but the Rajasthan Royals still have to make do with the glories of the first one. Perennial underdogs and underachievers would much rather be the huge bullies of the major leagues, year after year. But they haven’t been consistent enough for that.
A trip to the championship game in 2022 offered a long-term high, but even with their core intact, they were unable to repeat their domination from the previous season. However, the depth of the Rajasthan Royals’ shortcomings and strengths were examined over the course of the previous two seasons. With their excellent alternatives for both batting and bowling, they could produce amazing performances when all the players were in form, which was in 2022. When they weren’t, like in the previous season, when they frequently fell short despite their high caliber, their shortcomings and lack of depth were made clear.
Their pace bowling unit has been further bolstered with the addition of Avesh Khan in lieu of Devdutt Padikkal, but that wasn’t their main worry. They haven’t provided enough backups, which has made the batting somewhat vulnerable. At the most recent auction, they were also unable to significantly increase the batting strength in their bowling unit. To perhaps add some firepower to their bottom middle order, they did recruit a couple of powerful batters.
Where in this cycle they have finished: 2022: Commendable, 2023: Fifth
Important additions: Nandre Burger, Avesh Khan, Shubham Dubey, and Rovman Powell
Joe Root, Devdutt Padikkal, and Jason Holder are the main departures.
Entire Squad:
Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sin, Kunal Singh Rathore, Nandre Burger, Abid Mushtaq, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Yuzvendra Chahal
One statistic from the previous year that they should fix
The Rajasthan Royals almost missed making it to the postseason in the previous campaign. Their lackluster showing in Jaipur, where they lost four of five games, was a major contributing factor in that. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium, which was their stronghold until 2018 when they won 29 of 35 games, has become into a challenging place for the team that was put together following the 2019 mega auction. They really had the highest win % of any team at their primary home arena, 72.72, up until 2013. Their win percentage at the site fell to 47.37 in the final three years they played in Jaipur, which were 2019, 2022, and 2023. In what used to be their “fortress,” they would try to regain their magic.
One to keep an eye on:
Shubham Dubey: Despite being a late bloomer, the 29-year-old southpaw from Vidarbha has had a significant influence on domestic cricket with his big-hitting ability since making his debut two years ago. His capacity to produce big shots under duress from the very beginning makes him a unique talent in the domestic circuit of India. Unsurprisingly, the Rajasthan Royals were prepared to go as much as INR 5.8 Crore to secure his services in the bidding battle. For many seasons in their lower middle order, the Royals have been looking for a potent answer, and with Riyan Parag yet to demonstrate his abilities in the IPL despite his exploits domestically and Shimron Hetmyer entering the tournament on the back of poor form, Dubey may be that man.
Accidents and accessibility:
The fact that the majority of the Rajasthan Royals’ roster is healthy and available to play the whole tournament is one of their advantages. The lone player eliminated from the competition due to injury is Prasidh Krishna, but there is enough substitute in the pace area to make up for his loss.
Potential Impact Player strategy and possible XI:
Navdeep Saini/Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag/Shubham Dubey, R Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell,
Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shimron Hetmyer could be brought in as the Impact Player when RR bowls first based on the names stated above. Yuzvendra Chahal might also enter the lineup as the Impact Player in the second innings if they are batting first.
