When you talk about the Rajasthan Royals, your first memories are those of the inaugural season, in which they clinched the Indian Premier League for the first time under the leadership of great Shane Warne. Since then, they have come close and tried hard but haven’t got the results they were looking for.
From Shane Watson to Jos Buttler, from Shane Warne to Yuzu Chahal, Rajasthan has always had its formula clear: explosiveness at the top and wrist spinners to work with. They built a great squad in the 2021/22 mega auction, consisting of Indian talent as well as overseas experience and with that, they made regular playoff appearances but never won a title. This time, the Royals management and captain will have something different to work with and see if they can bring different results (in a positive way!)
Squad Preview
Rajasthan Royals was one of the two teams that retained 6 players. Captain Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the top retentions, receiving 18 crore each. Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag received 14 CR, and Shimrom Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma were the other two retentions.
IPL 2024 was Riyan Parag’s breakthrough season, and with the amount of trust RR management has in him, he was a sure spot among retained players. But there was talk of the amount Dhruv Jurel received, and he will have a lot to show this season.
There are a lot of Indian batters at the top, and Rajasthan will have to look at how to control the game if the top order collapses, as they lack that foreign experience in the middle. The use of Hasaranga and Theekshana will be quite interesting. Akash Madhwal did pretty well for Mumbai, especially at the end overs, and he can be a decent new ball option, too. Yudhvir Singh, as HTD bowler, can work at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Kumar Kartikeya will provide them with an extra Indian spin option.
Strengths
Top Order Batting: The true strength of RR will lie in the top order in which they have experience and explosiveness in Jaiswal, Samson and Nitish Rana. Samson and his X-factor Jaiswal have been part of the team for a long time and will now provide them with a strong lefty and righty opening combo, and then Nitish Rana at 3. Yashasvi can take down the bowlers right from the start, him striking at 147 with an average of 36 is proof of that. Samson will look to play an aggressive brand of cricket for them, and Rana, who was on the bench for most of the IPL 2024, will get a chance. Young prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be exciting to watch.
Middle Order: Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel. You cannot get a better batting quality in the middle than this in most teams. Parag can be as destructive as it gets. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel can anchor the innings if needed and can play all the shots in the book. Shimron Hetmyer has been the most consistent striker for the Royals in the last few seasons, with his late finishes at death.
All-Round Bowling: Royals have managed a good enough bowling lineup and like to like replacement options for each one of them. Big names in Jofra Archer, the royal superstar Wanindu Hasaranga (one of the best T20I bowlers), Sandeep Sharma as the new ball specialist, Maheesh Theekshana as the new ball spin option and last but not least, Tushar Deshpande who has improved a lot last season. All of them together can make a very decent Bowling Attack. All phase bowlers are very much required in T20s, which royals have got in plenty, and they are wicket-taking options as well.
Weaknesses
Death Bowling: Bowling in end overs will be concerning for them as Jofra Archer isn’t the same bowler he used to be, and Sandeep Sharma isn’t reliable at all in the death, though he has improved from previous outings he had before 2024. They will have to sort out this issue because the last IPL was played on the flattest decks we have seen in T20s, and death bowling will be a game-changing phase.
Overseas Batting Options:Â Rajasthan Royals always have one or two explosive hitters at the top, be it Shane Watson or Jos Buttler, but this time, the heavy lifting has to be done by the Indian stars. Shimron Hetmyer’s role will be crucial, and it’s interesting to see what he offers them this season.
