The Rajasthan Royals are well and truly a Royal franchise. Over the years, they have managed to gain a cult following across the cricketing globe. Several cricket fans around the world have appreciated how the Royals have managed to groom and nurture several talented players. Many players have reached their full potential while playing for RR. This includes overseas cricketers as well. Be it players like Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid and even Sanju Samson!
All of them have thrived in this franchise. Thus, their team has always performed well despite being deemed the “Underdogs” on most occasions.
So which are those bowlers who have been the most successful against this franchise?
Which bowlers have fared well against the Royals?
Here in this article, we shall be looking at the top 5 highest wicket-takers against RR in the league’s history.
1) Amit Mishra (30 Wickets)
Amit Mishra is unarguably one of the greatest spinners to have played in the Indian T20 league. Not many bowlers in the IPL have been as successful as him. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that he has been one of the greatest Indian bowlers to have played the Indian T20 league. You will always find him in a list pertaining to the biggest wicket-takers in the league’s history.
Thus, he has also been the most successful bowler against RR. No other bowler has picked as many wickets as him against this particular franchise. He has picked 30 wickets in 19 matches. He has bowled 72 overs at an average of 16.10 and with an outstanding economy rate of 6.90. His best bowling figure in an innings is three wickets for 17 runs. Thus, the leggie has always troubled the Rajasthan Royals batters more often than not.
2) Piyush Chawla (21 Wickets)
Piyush Chawla has been around in the IPL for quite a while now. He has been one of the most successful leggies to have played in the league. He was a match-winner during his peak. The teams he has played for have been the Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings), Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. Because batters struggle to pick his deliveries, he has been one of the most successful bowlers against RR.
He is placed second on the list of the most number of wickets picked against RR in the league’s history. The veteran has picked 21 wickets in the 18 innings against them. His bowling average against them is less than 23, with an economy rate of less than 7.50.
3) Ravindra Jadeja (18 wickets)
It is an absolute irony to find Jadeja on this list. It was the Royals who first spotted his talent and groomed him. As a matter of fact, Shane Warne had even nicknamed him “Rockstar”. That’s how good he was. However, he has represented the Chennai Super Kings for a long time and is now well and truly a Super King. Besides RR and CSK, he played for two defunct teams, namely Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Gujarat Lions.
Thus, he is third on the list of the highest number of wickets taken by an individual bowler against RR. The southpaw has picked 18 wickets in 18 innings. His best bowling figure in an innings against them is 4 wickets for 11 runs. He has two four-wicket hauls to his name and is probably one of the game’s best fielders. Thus, it is safe to call him a complete package.
4) Dwayne Bravo (16 Wickets)
Dwayne Bravo has been one of the greatest all-rounders to have played in the Indian T20 league. Despite having to manage his batting, he has created his legacy with the ball in hand. Even the commentators keep speaking about how he could open an academy and train future T20 bowlers to work on their variations in the shortest format of the game.
Thus, he has a superb record against the Royals. He is placed fourth on the list of the most number of wickets picked against RR in the league’s history. He has picked 16 wickets in the 13 innings against them. He has a bowling average of less than 25 against them, and his best bowling figure in an innings is 2 wickets for 12 runs.
5) Albie Morkel (14 Wickets)
Albie Morkel has been one of the most underrated all-rounders in the history of the league. There was a time when he was one of the most feared players in the IPL. He was an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings. So much so that he had even picked the most number of wickets by a CSK bowler at a certain point of time in his IPL career. Thus, he has a commendable record against RR. He is placed fifth in the list of the most wickets taken against RR in IPL history.
The Proteas all-rounder has picked up 14 wickets. He has an average of 21.50 and an economy of 8.36. His best bowling figure in an innings against Rajasthan Royals is 2 wickets for 21 runs. He then went on to represent the Royal Challengers Bangalore as well as the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals)
