IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals finished last in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League. The franchise made some important changes and additions in their side during the IPL Auction 2021. They released payers like Steven Smith, Oshane Thomas and Tom Curran prior to the Auction 2021. RR also bought South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a whopping 16.25 crore rupees. After a dismal show by the RR players in the 2020 IPL, players would be itching to go out and perform for the side.
One major plus for Rajasthan Royals in the presence of three English players in their squad who have been in India for a long time and thus would be accustomed to the conditions here in the sub-continent. Royals won the IPL in 2008 but then, failed to perform as expected in the later editions. The franchise was also banned along with Chennai Super Kings in 2015 for two years based on a 2013 betting scandal. As Steven Smith was released ahead of the Auction, Sanju Samson was named to lead the RR squad for the IPL 2021.
Here’s a look at the Top 5 players, who could be the difference-makers in the RR side:
Jos Buttler: The explosive England batsman has to be the number one on this list. Buttler has been in India since January after the start of England’s tour of India. He is one of the most reliable batsman in the Rajasthan Royals squad. This wicket-keeper batsman has scored 1714 runs in 58 matches IPL at a strike rate of 149.56. He is one of the rare explosive top-order batman going around in world cricket.
Ben Stokes: This English all-rounder is perhaps the best fast-bowling all-rounder in world cricket right now. He can win close encounters with his bat as well as pick up crucial wickets when the team requires the most. Stokes can go for a few runs but he always bowls wicket-taking balls. He has 920 runs and 28 wickets in IPL cricket. Stokes is one of the important players in the English national side.
Sanju Samson: This 26-year old from Kerala has been around for quite some time now in the IPL. He made his Kerala debut at the age of 17. At 26, he has already been part of eight IPL seasons. The wicket-keeper batsman has 2584 IPL runs against his name that also include two centuries. He is also named the captain of Rajasthan Royals as Steven Smith was released before the Auction by RR.
Chris Morris: The man made headlines during the IPL Auction 2021 after he went for a whopping amount of 16.25 crore rupees. The South African all-rounder provides his captain with great slog over batting as well as death and middle over bowling. He has played 70 IPL matches in which he took 80 wickets and scored runs at 157 strike rate. He became the highest paid player in the IPL. Will he be able to justify the million plus price tag? Only time will tell.
David Miller: Although he hasn’t been in the best of his form, Miller has the ability to take on the opposition bowlers at any given moment in the match. He is one of the most experienced T20 player in the world. With 329 T20 matches under his belt, Miller has scored 7174 runs at an average close to 35. Miller can play in the middle order and also in the top order. With so many good overseas players in the mix for RR, it will be a little difficult for Miller to make it to the RR Playing XI.
So, this was out list of Top 5 players in the Rajasthan Royals side. Did we miss out on any, do let us know in the comments.
RR Full Squad:
Sanju Samson (c&wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh