Rajasthan Royals had a relatively quiet IPL auction as they had a limited purse and frankly didn’t have much to do barring making a couple of additions to their side. Having traded Avesh Khan for Devdutt Padikkal during the retentions, they made their bowling unit strong, and by adding West Indies skipper Rovman Powell, RR’s batting looks a lot more fierce.
Rajasthan Royals Full Squad for IPL 2024
RR squad: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger
RR, despite not making the playoffs, retained the core, and the playing XI may not be much different from the one they played in IPL 2023. Let us glance at RR’s probable 11 for their opening IPL 2024 game.
RR Probable Playing XI for IPL 2024
Openers: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal has grown as a batter in the last year or so, having made his senior India debut after a stellar IPL 2023 where he made 625 runs. He will open the batting alongside a white-ball great in Jos Buttler, and the pair is expected to continue their successful journey at the top of the order for RR.
Middle-order: Sanju Samson, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey/Dhruv Jurel
Rovman Powell is a welcome addition to the RR setup, as they struggled with a solid middle-order batter in the last season, and he will join his West Indies teammate and powerhouse Shimron Hetmyer. Both will have the responsibility, along with the skipper, Sanju Samson, to consolidate the start given by the openers and make sure RR has a strong finish.
Dhruv Jurel, who impressed in the last edition, will continue to don the role of finisher, or RR may give a chance to their newest addition, Shubham Dubey, who is touted to be a hard hitter down the order.
All-rounders: Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag has been outstanding in the domestic circuit for his state side but has failed to reciprocate the same consistency in the IPL despite being backed by RR for all these years. But we can expect him to be part of the Royals’ playing XI in the very first game they play, and he might play the role of an all-rounder.
Bowlers: Trent Boult, R Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
The Rajasthan Royals have one of the strongest bowling lineups on paper and have all the bases covered. They have a variety in their attack, comprising left-arm seamer Trent Boult, veteran off-spinner Ravi Ashwin, and then the Indian pacers Avesh Khan and Prasidh, both of whom have international experience and can deliver at crucial junctures. In all, RR bowling looks complete with the addition of the impact player.
Twelfth Man/Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal
If the above bowling line-up is not enough, RR has yet another champion spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal, who can fill in as the impact player. The leggie has a lot of IPL experience and is the leading wicket-taker, with 187 scalps to his name.
RR’s Probable Playing XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey/Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, R Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
