IPL 2020: Team Preview – Rajasthan Royals

In the T20 extravaganza of Indian cricket, if there is one team that takes a backseat more often than not, then it is Rajasthan Royals. After winning the inaugural IPL 2008, the Royals have failed to appear even in a single IPL final. They always tend to have an aura of underdogs surrounding them. Over the years, they have adopted the image of being a side that gives opportunities to youngsters and punches above their weight. Continuing in the same vein, the Royals are entering the IPL with the youngest team in the tournament.

Squad:

Strengths:

Sticking to their overseas performers in the IPL auction, the Royals boast of an enviable overseas presence. In Jos Buttler, they have one of the finest white-ball batsmen in the world. The Englishman at the top has blown apart many bowling attacks. They have Jofra Archer in the bowling line-up who can regularly bowl at around 150 kmph. In Ben Stokes, they have one of the finest all-rounders of the game. Their captain, Steve Smith, has found an extra gear of batting in T20 cricket ever since he returned from his one-year ban. These four make up the core of Rajasthan Royals and it is very strong.

Royals will be oozing with great energy this season. The team is the youngest team in the tournament by average age and that fact is likely to reflect in their on-field behaviour. They have signed up many of India’s under-19 stars and they will have a point to prove in front of their seniors.

Weaknesses

While the Royals do have a strong overseas core, they are severely depleted in the Indian contingent. With a minimum of seven Indian players necessary in the playing XI, this will be a great cause of concern for the Royals.  They do not have a single Indian cricketer in their setup who is currently representing the nation in any of the three formats. While this is a great opportunity for those vying for the attention of the national selectors, it may well end up in a disaster for the Royals.

Player availability will be another issue that the Royals will have to tackle. Their talisman, Ben Stokes, has been out of cricket for quite some time due to personal reasons. He may well miss out the tournament entirely. The English and Australian players are expected to miss the first week of the IPL and this will have a severe impact on the team combination of Rajasthan royals since their key overseas players are all either Australian or English.

Strongest Playing XI

Jos Buttler*, Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (C)*, Ben Stokes*, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer*, Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Rajpoot.

Yashasvi Jaiswal should make his IPL debut as an opener at some stage of the IPL. David Miller and Tom Curren could take place of Ben Stokes in the playing 11 if the all-rounder remains absent. The likes of Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh will be waiting for their opportunities in the IPL.

Team Fixtures