In Short
- RR turned the clock back to 2008 and reached 2022 final
- The Royals would be eager to unleash Adam Zampa
- It will be interesting to see how RR fit in Joe Root
By Priya NagiRajasthan Royals came close to reclaiming their 14-year lost IPL glory but they were denied by the stylish debutant Gujarat Titans last year. The Royals have managed to keep their core team intact, with a few match-winners at their disposal.
The Jaipur-based franchise boosts a rich legacy created by Australian great Shane Warne, who led the Royals to the first-ever IPL 2008 triumph. Over the years, the Royals’ journey witnessed various set backs, including their involvement in the spot-fixing scandal which led to their suspension for a two-year period, but they managed to rebuild themselves into a tricky unit to challenge.
The likes of Shane Watson (2008-14), Rahul Dravid (2012-13), Steve Smith (2014-20) and Ajinkya Rahane (2018-19) tried to emulate Warne’s (2008-11) legacy but it was Sanju Samson who turned the clock back to 2008 as RR reached their only second final last year. After emerging 2008 winners, RR failed to move past the league stage for four straight seasons before making it to the playoffs in 2013. After the 2018 playoffs, RR were knocked out in the league stage from 2019 to 2021.
Ahead of the new season, Rajasthan Royals were hit by the unavailability of Prasidh Krishna due to a stress fracture that will require surgery. Krishna was RR’s second highest wicket-taker last year and who will fill in his shoes will be a major concern for the Samson-led side as no replacement has been announced yet.
RR TO REVOLVE AROUND CORE PLAYERS?
Royals’ pace attack will be led by Trent Boult, who could complete his 100 IPL wickets as he is only eight scalps behind the mark. The spin department, on the other hand, has formidable players in Ravichandran Ashwin, last year’s winner of purple cap Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa, who was snapped by RR during the 2022 mini-auction. RR would be eager to unleash Zampa as the Australian is coming on the back of his four-wicket haul against India in the recent third ODI.
Rajasthan Royals’ batting is absolute class. Jos Buttler, who won the orange cap, will look to pick up from where he left in 2022. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is coming on the back of a brilliant domestic season, will aim to compliment Buttler at the top of the order.
Runs are expected to flow by the middle-order, which comprises the likes of captain Samson and Devdutt Padikkal, followed by explosive finishers Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder and Riyan Parag. It would be interesting how the RR management utilise Joe Root, who could make his IPL debut at some point in the 2023 season.
RR TEAM 2023FULL SQUAD
Sanju Samson (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Obed McCoy, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Jason Holder, Adam Zampa, Donovan Ferreira, K.M. Asif, Murugan Ashwin, Akash Vashisht, Abdul P A, Kunal Rathore, Joe Root.
RR TEAM 2023FULL SCHEDULE
Match 1April 2 – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, Hyderabad (3:30PM IST)
Match 2April 5 – Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings, Guwahati (7:30PM IST)
Match 3April 8 – Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals, Guwahati (3:30PM IST)
Match 4April 12 – Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
Match 5April 16 – Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, Ahmedabad (7:30PM IST)
Match 6April 19 – Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Jaipur (7:30PM IST)
Match 7April 23 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, Bengaluru (3:30PM IST)
Match 8April 27 – Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Jaipur (7:30PM IST)
Match 9April 30 – Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai (7:30PM IST)
Match 10May 5 – Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans, Jaipur (7:30PM IST)
Match 11May 7 – Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jaipur (7:30PM IST)
Match 12May 11 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata (7:30PM IST)
Match 13May 14 – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Jaipur (3:30PM IST)
Match 14May 19 – Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Dharamsala (7:30PM IST)
Emanuel Schmitt
Rodrigo Wolf
Ryleigh Mante