For the Rajasthan Royals, the wait for a second Indian Premier League (IPL) title has been excruciating and long. After winning their first IPL title in the opening edition, the Royals never quite lived up to expectations as the title drought increased year on year. On a related note, IPL 2020 saw the Royals deliver one of their worst performances overall, a coffee table finish. However, a new captain in the talented Sanju Samson, replacing Steve Smith, can see things turn this time around for the Royals.
New stars
The Royals left no stone unturned in the 2021 IPL auction held in Chennai. They put their handbag to good use and bought Chris Morris for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore, making him the most expensive overseas signing ever in IPL cricket. They’ve also done Shivam Dube to bolster their versatile options this season. The Royals have also added Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa and Akash Singh to their squad.
Old Stalwarts
Looking at the current squad of players, it comes as a surprise not to make it to the playoffs. The presence of limited offensive specialists like Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller and Yashasvi Jaiswal have the capacity to blow up any opposition roster through individual performances. Not to mention Shreyas Gopal, England’s Jofra Archer and left arm stimulator Jaydev Unadkat who can shake up any batting lineup on the same day.
Perspectives
Tewatia, Riyan Parag and Jaiswal may need to contribute more responsibly whenever they get the chance. Akash Singh, Manan Vohra and Mayank Markande are similar talented prospects who will need to seize opportunities as they arise throughout the tournament.
Journey Last Season
Promoted
The Royals finished IPL 2020 at the bottom of the points table, with just 12 points in 14 games. They recorded six wins and eight losses at a bizarre net run rate of -0.569.
The franchise can look forward to a rebuild under new skipper Sanju Samson, who himself will be looking to take the tournament by storm with his exquisite and fairly unknown leadership qualities.
Topics mentioned in this article
.
