The inaugural IPL winners have had several underwhelming seasons in recent years. Still, with the kind of squad they have carved out with the upcoming IPL season on the horizon, cricket enthusiasts now question: Is title glory finally on the way for the Rajasthan Royals this time around?
The crucial additions they have made to the squad certainly add weight to their title contention this year. Ravindra Jadeja is one such name for the Royals. The all-important trade with the Chennai Super Kings makes ‘Sir’ Jadeja one of the most experienced and decorated names in the Royals camp, with the ability to adapt to the needs of the game, something they had been missing for some time now.
Apart from him, Royal acquired Donovan Ferreira and Sam Curran in trade and bought Ravi Bishnoi at a massive price of Rs. 7.2 crores amongst others, a younger but talented lot of players have been added to their squad. In light of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, here is how the Rajasthan Royals squad looks after the recently held mini auction in Abu Dhabi.
Batters
Rajasthan Royals have managed to retain the core of their batters with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmeyer, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Aman Perala, who have the responsibility of scoring runs on the board. Dhruv Jurel not only handles the wicket-keeping for the Royals but also provides stability to the middle order during transition periods, with Lhuan Dre Pretorious, Donovan Ferreira, and Ravi Singh providing crucial bench strength in the wicket-keeping and batting departments.
All-Rounders
Rajasthan Royals historically lacked a functional all-round department in the IPL. However, the inaugural Champions have solved this major issue in their squad this time around. The inclusion of Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja further consolidated the Royals’ all-round unit, adding crucial experience that can steer the pace of the game at critical junctures.
Bowlers
Rajasthan Royals are blessed with one of the most comprehensive and talented bowling units this season. The leader of the bowling unit is bound to be Jofra Archer, who can stun almost any batter with his lethal pace. Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, and Adam Milne are other overseas bowling options for the Royals. They are crucial for the support of the long list of talented Indian bowlers in the Royals camp, which includes Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Vignesh Puthur, Yudhvir Singh, Sushant Mishra, Kuldeep Sen, Brijesh Sharma, and Yash Punja. The wicket-taking ability of Ravi Bishnoi is also going to be an important asset for the Royals during the course of the tournament.
