- Captain: Ajinkya Rahane.
- Coach: Paddy Upton.
- Home Ground: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
- IPL 2018 Result: 4th on points table.
- Best Result: Champions in IPL 2018.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
- Retained: Ajinkya Rahane, Krishnappa Gowtham, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Gopal, Aryaman Birla, S. Midhun, Prashant Chopra, Stuart Binny, Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mahipal Lomror.
- Purchased: Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh, Liam Livinstone, Shubham Rajane, Manan Vohra, Ashton Turner, Riyan Parag.
- Released: D’Arcy Short, Ben Laughlin, Heinrich Klaasen, Dane Paterson, Zahir Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh, Ankit Sharma, Jatin Saxena.
The biggest plus point for the Royals in IPL 2019 will be the return of Steve Smith to competitive cricket, having missed the last season due to the infamous ball tampering incident. Mind you, the squad also boasts of the like of Ben Stokes, considered one of the best all-rounder in world cricket at the moment; Jos Buttler too will be one to watch out for, having changed RR’s fortunes in IPL 2018 by scoring five consecutive fifties after being moved to the top of the order last year.
They have the services of Jofra Archer who is tipped to be one of the better T20 world bowlers at the moment. He picked up 15 wickets in 10 matches last year. They have also picked up Ashton Turner in the IPL 2019 Auction, and he is in red-hot form, having recently smashed 84* to complete a stunning victory against India. However, the squad is set to face a couple of major concerns. They have almost the similar talent that they did last year, but team combinations will continue to haunt them.
Rahul Tripathi impressed one and all in IPL 2017 but was forced to shift to the lower order last season. I would personally prefer to see him bat up with Buttler and let Rahane play at #3 or #4. Again, there are so many overseas players so it’s going to be tough to pick only 4 between Buttler, Stokes, Smith, Archer, Turner, Ish Sodhi and many others. Another issue they will face is the over-reliance that this team has on these few overseas powerhouses.
Rajasthan Royals Squad for IPL 2019:
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Krishnappa Gowtham, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Gopal, Aryaman Birla, S. Midhun, Prashant Chopra, Stuart Binny, Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mahipal Lomror, D’Arcy Short, Ben Laughlin, Heinrich Klaasen, Dane Paterson, Zahir Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh, Ankit Sharma, Jatin Saxena.
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Rajasthan also has someone like Jaydev Unadkat, who was purchased for an overwhelming INR 8.4 Crore at the auction. Will he be able to perform with so much expectations on him? The bowler only managed 11 wickets in 15 games in IPL 2018. For all updates on Rajasthan Royals this season, keep following ReadScoops.com.
