Two teams made a comeback to the IPL last year after getting banned. One won the IPL title while the other came close to reach 4^th position in the points table. Rajasthan Royals had an average performance last year after managing to qualify for the playoffs and eventually getting knocked out. Just like last year, the Royals went all guns blazing at the auction in 2019.

Jaydev Unadkat was again bought by the Royals for a whopping price of INR 8.4Cr. They bought nine players in the auction this year by targeting backup players and keeping pace bowlers on their agenda.

Rajasthan Royals Squad –

Batsmen – Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith, Manan Vohra, Aryaman Birla, Rahul Tripathi, Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Riyan Parag

All Rounders – Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Shubham Ranjane, Ashton Turner, Mahipal Lomror, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, K Gowtham

Wicket Keepers – Jos Butler, Sanju Samson, Prashant Chopra

Bowlers – Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Sudhesan Midhun

Team Composition and Analysis –

Now, that might look like a well-balanced squad, but remember some of the top players like Stokes and Buttler will head back in the middle of the IPL to prepare for the World Cup.

One of their main players; Steve Smith will be making a comeback to International Cricket too so there are lots of ifs and buts associated with the squad. The best part about this team is the find of domestic stars like K. Gowtham and Rahul Tripathi who have won matches for them in previous seasons.

Jofra Archer will be the key to their death bowling, especially in the closer encounters that they will inevitably face. Oshane Thomas seemed to be very impressive in the T20 series against India and the Royals would be fortunate to have him in the team.

The inclusion of Stuart Binny in the team will also be a decisive factor. Batting all-rounder Ashton Turner has shown a glimpse of his performance in the recently concluded India – Australia ODI series and all eyes will be on him. The Royals are fortunate to have an experienced all-rounder like Ben Stokes in their side as well. Jos Butler has been a match winner for Rajasthan Royals and he’ll look forward to this season playing a finisher role along with his impressive skills behind the stumps.

How the side will fare will be reliant on skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s ability to perform with the bat as well as captain the side.

Ratings –

Batting – 6/10

All-rounders – 6/10

Bowling – 7/10

Let us know your thoughts on this team and if they have a chance to win the title!