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RR in IPL 2024: Team preview
Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been one of the underachievers in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Back in 2008, the Royals made the best possible start after winning the title by beating MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final. The likes of Swapnil Asnodkar, Sohail Tanvir and others took them to glory. Shane Warne, one of the world’s greatest, led them from the front.
But since then, the Royals have struggled. Let alone getting their hands on the title, RR have struggled to even qualify for the playoffs. In 2022, Sanju Samson captained them to the final where they went down to Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans (GT) in front of a packed house at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Last season, they agonizingly missed out on qualifying for the playoffs after finishing fifth in the league stage. The Royals will be looking to put in a better showing as they have several international stars, who all could make a huge difference on their day. Samson would also be looking to prove a point with the bat ahead of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA.

This season, the focus will be on the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and R Ashwin, who were sensational in the 5-match Test series against England which India won 4-1.
In the auction, the Royals bought West Indies T20I skipper Rovman Powell, England’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nandre Burger, Shubham Dubey and Abid Mushtaq.
After a disappointing campaign last time around when they failed to finish in the top four, the Royals released Joe Root, Abdul Basith, Jason Holder, Akash Vashisht, Kuldip Yadav, Obed McCoy, Murugan Ashwin, KC Cariappa, and KM Asif.
Full RR squad for IPL 2024
The Royals went all out for Rovman Powell and shelled out INR 7.40 crore for the hard-hitting middle-order batter. Powell was earlier with the Delhi Capitals (DC). The Royals also spent heavily on Shubham Dubey, buying him for INR 5.80 crore.
Nandre Burger recently troubled the Indian batters in the 2-match Test series and he is one of their players to watch out for. Tom Kohler-Cadmore is not a big name, but has loads of experience of playing in T20 leagues around the world.
RR squad
Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger.
Rishabh Pant declared fit for IPL 2024
Strengths
- Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exceptional form
Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the form of his life as he finished as the leading run-scorer in the Test series against England. The southpaw also holds the record for the fastest fifty in the history of the IPL.
- Strong spin attack
The Royals have 2 of the world’s best spinners in their ranks. R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal can create a lot of headaches for oppositions with all the experience that they have.
- Trent Boult’s recent experience in franchise leagues
Trent Boult has played in several T20 leagues around the world as he is not a part of New Zealand’s central contract. With 241 T20 wickets to his name, Boult has shown his class in the shorter format.
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— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 14, 2024
Weaknesses
- Lack of all-rounders
The Royals do not have genuine all-rounders, who can turn matches on their heads. R Ashwin is the one who can make an impact with bat and ball.
- Riyan Parag’s role
Riyan Parag burst onto the scene back in 2019 and impressed everyone. Although he has remained a part of the Royals since then, he has not been consistent enough. Questions have also been raised on his position in the team.
- Prasidh Krishna’s unavailability
Prasidh Krishna was one of the experienced pacers for the Royals in the tournament. However, he has been ruled out of the tournament after he underwent quadriceps surgery.
RR Predicted XI
1. Jos Buttler
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Sanju Samson
4. Rovman Powell
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Dhruv Jurel
7. Riyan Parag
8. R Ashwin
9. Yuzvendra Chahal
10. Trent Boult
11. Avesh Khan
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Impact player options for RR
Nandre Burger may not get a chance to feature in RR’s playing XI right from the outset. However, the Royals can use him as a handy option as an Impact Player. If the pitch helps fast bowlers, the duo of Burger and Boult can wreak havoc on opposition batting lineups.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore is an effective batter after the Royals can use him as a surprise element. In 188 T20 matches since his debut back in 2014, the right-handed batter has racked up 4692 runs at an average of 28.09 and a strike-rate of 139.80 with a hundred and 34 fifties to his name.
Season prediction
The Royals do have a strong team, but when compared to others, they lack some firepower. Lack of enough all-rounders is likely to make life tougher for them. Sanju Samson needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat to make sure the RR make their way through to the playoffs.
In the bowling department, the onus will mostly be on Ashwin and Chahal, as they are 2 of India’s most successful spinners. The opening pair of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal need to take the Royals off to flying starts more often than not.
Samson needs to take charge in the middle order along with Shimron Hetmyer, who can also strike the ball a long distance. Parag has been exceptional for Assam in Indian domestic cricket and it is high time that he replicates something similar even for the Royals.
The spotlight will also be on Dhruv Jurel, who won the Player of the Match award in the Ranchi Test against England.
Overall, it will be tough for the Royals to advance to the playoffs. Their big guns need to stay consistent for them to challenge some of the better teams in the competition.