IPL 2024 RR Preview: Sanju Samson’s Royals aim to end agonising wait for title

Rajasthan Royals made a dream start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after winning.

The title in the inaugural edition back in 2008. Shane Warne led them from the front and made them champions after edging past the mighty Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.

But since then, the Royals have not had much to cheer for. Let alone winning the trophy, the Royals, at times, have struggled to get off the bottom of the table. Back in 2022, they made their way through to the final where Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans defeated them.

Last season, RR could not break into the top 4 despite having some of the best players in the world. For the upcoming edition of the IPL, the Royals won’t be the favourites in the presence of teams like Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but they have the firepower to prove their naysayers wrong.

The Royals will lock horns with KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their opening match on Sunday, March 24 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

RR’S CHANCE TO DEFY THE ODDS
The Royals failed in the previous season, but would want to draw inspiration from their campaign in 2023. Yuzvendra Chahal is the all-time leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL and his role is going to hold a lot of importance for his team.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the form of his life after his jaw-dropping in the Test series against England. With 2 double hundreds, the left-handed batter scored runs for fun and a made a mockery of the opposition bowling attack.

R Ashwin is a clever customer with the ball and is no mug with the bat. He needs to be on top of his game for the Royals to challenge the high-profile teams in the tournament.

HOW DID RR FARE AT THE AUCTION?
The Royals went after Rovman Powell in the auction and roped him in at a price of INR 7.40 crore. Powell made a move from the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Powell is a clean striker of the ball and can be a genuine match-winner on his day, although he can be vulnerable at times against quality spin attacks.

RR also shelled out a stunning INR 5.80 crore for Vidarbha batter Shubham Dubey. Nandre Burger got his maiden IPL contract after he impressed for South Africa when India toured the African nation. Tom Kohler-Cadmore is not a big name with experience under his belt, he can pose threats to the opposition.

RR SQUAD FOR IPL 2024

Wicketkeepers: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler (ENG), Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Rathore, Donovan Ferreira (SA), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (ENG).

Batters: Shimron Hetmyer (WI), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Rovman Powell (WI), Shubham Dubey.

All-rounders: Ravi Ashwin, Abid Mushtaq.

Bowlers: Trent Boult (NZ), Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Zampa (AUS), Nandre Burger (SA), Avesh Khan.

RR: PLAYER AVAILABILITY NEWS
Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out of the tournament after he sustained a quadriceps injury while playing in Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy 2024 match against Gujarat. On February 24, Prasidh underwent surgery and missed the bus for the IPL.

Prasidh, who made his Test debut on the tour of South Africa, is currently being monitored by the medical staff of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

RR: BIG NAMES TO WATCH OUT FOR
Sanju Samson: Sanju Samson is expected to play a key role for the Royals in the middle-order, having played several match-winning knocks for them in the last couple of seasons.

Jos Buttler: Jos Buttler is an explosive batter in the top order and has the ability to take apart quality bowling attacks. His role in the top order will be crucial.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Chahal is a tried-and-tested customer, and he needs to step up big time for the Royals, especially in the middle overs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the IPL and that shows how big a role he has played for the Royals in the IPL.

RR TEAM NEWS: PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
In Prasidh’s absence, the Royals have a decent bunch of pacers to choose from. Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen and Navdeep Saini can be very effective in the fast bowling department.

OPTION 1: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan

OPTION 2: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma.