The Indian Premier League, one of the most coveted T20 tournaments in the world, is set to begin in a few days. Ten teams will compete in the tournament, each hoping to gain an advantage over their opponents. Rajasthan Royals, like every other team, will try to make amends for the previous season and end the new season on a high note.
The Rajasthan Royals have strengthened their already well-balanced roster. Last season, RR was absolutely lethal. Despite coming within a whisker of winning their second IPL title, RR were thrashed by Gujarat Titans.
RR, on the other hand, will be hoping to replicate the majority of what happened last season, with a minor change to how the season ended for them.
A look at last season’s performance
Even before the tournament began, RR appeared to be one of the most balanced and dangerous teams. Surprisingly, they also played that way. The defending champions looked in fine form throughout the tournament, and with only a few hiccups here and there, the stage appeared set for RR to win their second IPL title.
However, they only managed to put up 130 runs in the final, which the GT easily chased down. Despite this, RR had one of their best seasons since winning the championship for the first time in 2008.
Jos Butler was named series MVP after scoring 863 runs, which included four centuries, 83 fours, and 45 maximums. Butler also took home the orange cup, beating out KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Hardik Pandya, and Shubman Gill.
Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all made significant contributions. In the bowling department, RR was also very good. Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout bowler, finishing with 27 wickets in 17 games at an average of 19.52.
He was also given the purple cap, which effectively reinstated him in the Indian lineup for T20 tournaments, which he had previously missed. Prasidh Krishna (19 wickets) and Trent Boult (16 wickets) also contributed.
RR, on the other hand, was unable to make an impact in the final. They batted a little too defensively, fielded a little choppy, and the bowlers had their lengths all over the place. As a result, they were defeated by GT by seven wickets, in one of the few one-sided games witnessed by fans in the previous 13 editions of the competition.
After winning the first edition in 2008, the Royals made their first appearance in 2022. They’ve only made the playoffs three times before. For two years, RR was barred from competing. In every previous edition, they were eliminated from the group stage.
New signings ahead of the 2023 IPL season
Rajasthan Royals purchased nine players at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi. The inaugural champions entered the mini-auction with a purse of Rs. 13.20 crore. They were able to fill all nine open positions and were still left with 3.35 crore.
RR was not in a rush to make major roster changes, and they were able to keep the majority of their key players from last season, which was perhaps their best since winning the title for the first time in 2008.
RR paid 5.75 crore for West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder and 1.5 crore for Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa. The Royals also opened bidding for Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Nicholas Pooran, and Shivam Mavi, but were unable to secure their signatures due to their limited funds.
RR, on the other hand, was one of the busiest teams in the last accelerated round, signing Donovan Ferreira, Murugan Ashwin, KM Asif, Akash Vashisht, and Abdul PA.
Predicted Starting XI
Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson ©, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Strengths
As previously stated, 2022 was RR’s best season following the inaugural season of the IPL, which they won. As a result, it was obvious that they devised some extremely effective performances. The Royals’ ability to use a seasoned group was responsible for the results. On paper, they were one of the strongest teams in 2022, whether it was in bowling or batting.
Last year, Jos Butler, Yuzvendra Chahal, skipper Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were all outstanding. Fortunately, RR was able to retain the players who reached the final last year, and they have looked in good form when representing their respective countries.
RR was a little inconsistent in the middle order. While Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag appeared in cameos, they were frequently dead weight for RR. This is where Jason Holder’s presence in the squad will help RR’s middle order, implying that there’s no reason RR won’t make an impact in a new season.
Furthermore, Adam Zampa, a leg-spinner who was instrumental in Australia’s victory in the T20 World Cup in 2021, has yet to contribute consistently in the IPL. Despite scoring 6/19 for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2016 edition.
Zampa has taken the wickets of some world-class players, including former Indian captain Virat Kohli. He’ll be hoping for more playing time after appearing in just 14 games in three IPL seasons.
Weaknesses
Despite personnel changes, the inconsistent element has been RR’s downfall in the IPL over the years. This is one of the main reasons why they haven’t won the T20 league since the first season in 2008. Even in IPL 2022, when they reached the final, there were hints of their proclivity to deviate.
RR won their first two games of the IPL 2022 season, but then lost their next three. They were defeated by the Gujarat Titans by a score of 37 runs in one of their games. Despite winning three straight games, they were defeated twice in a row by the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. Their batting performance was dismal in both games.
While RR performed admirably to reach the final, its flaws were more or less apparent in the final. RR also struggled in the games leading up to the final due to inconsistencies by Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Season Prediction
RR has kept the majority of the players who were involved in their historic run last season. After spending an entire season together, the players will be much more familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which may allow them to close the gap with other formidable teams.
They appear to be a well-balanced team in all departments, with the potential to top the table heading into the playoffs and ultimately win the coveted IPL title.
Also Read: Who is the Godfather or Baap of IPL And Why? (sportsdigest.in)
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