By Subhayan Chakraborty
Overview
Rajasthan Royals, the winners of the inaugural IPL, will look to take one step further from the previous edition as they bid to lift the trophy for a second time. Make no mistake, this RR unit has all the qualities to make it to the playoffs or even win the tournament. They came agonisingly close to winning IPL 2022, only to be defeated by Gujarat Titans in the summit clash.
Stacked with some big-name players, proven performers, match-winners and an exciting bunch of uncapped talents, Rajasthan Royals are well capable of wrecking havoc in the upcoming season. There are a few new additions, but with mostly the same core, Rajasthan can dream of going one better and emulating Shane Warne’s side of 2008.
Strengths and weaknesses
The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal is Rajasthan’s biggest strength. While Chahal bagged the Purple Cap in IPL 2022 with 27 scalps, Ashwin ended the tournament with 12 wickets at a miserly economy rate (7.51), making them one of the most lethal pairs in the competition.
RR’s batting stands out as well, given the presence of high-calibre players like Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson. They’re supported by youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has lit up the domestic circuit with his sparkling performances across formats. The additions of Joe Root and Adam Zampa would provide RR much-needed flexibility during the course of the tournament but it remains to be seen whether the overseas duo will get to play much.
RR’s biggest weakness is the death bowling, after the injuries to Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy. Though Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen or even Sandeep Sharma, their latest recruit, are capable enough of carrying out slog-over duties, RR will definitely feel the absence of Krishna and McCoy.
Strategy Watch
RR would rely heavily on Jos Buttler to replicate what he did in IPL 2022 and smash 800-plus runs. The batting will revolve around the Buttler-Samson combo. If Jaiswal is able to hit the ground running, like he has done on the domestic circuit, then RR fans are in for a treat. Expect Ashwin to be used as a pinch-hitter more frequently this season.
Another big call RR need to make is whether to use Riyan Parag as a finisher or a proper middle-order bat. With the addition of Jason Holder and the presence of Shimron Hetmyer, RR could look at the West Indies duo to take on the finishing roles while promoting Parag to No.5 after Samson – that’s where he has enjoyed most of his success for Assam.
On the bowling front, Samson would look to Boult for early breakthroughs with the new ball, before deploying Ashwin-Chahal in the middle overs.
Impact Player Watch
Using Trent Boult’s four overs up front and then bringing in Zampa to operate alongside Ashwin and Chahal in the middle overs could be a good move. If RR want to add a bit of batting firepower, then they could swap Boult for Root.
Chahal’s fielding has been one of the weak links for RR. Swapping him out for a batter like Akash Vashisht, or for Navdeep Saini to add a bit to the death bowling could be a good option during the tournament.
Last Year
After 9 wins from their 14 league matches, Rajasthan lost the final to Gujarat.
Best finish
RR won the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008.
Likely Playing XI
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (C, WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Trent Boult.