Sanju Samson will be leading a rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming season of IPL. Having finished at the bottom in the last season, the Royals went for several changes ahead of the auction. The most noticeable one was the expulsion of former skipper Steven Smith, who got released due to his lackluster form witnessed in the last two or three editions.
With a new captain, the team management has decided to reconsider their strategies and move in the right direction to attain glory in IPL 2021. Here is a little preview of how things can go for the winners of the inaugural edition of IPL.
The RR Team
Talent has never been a concern for Rajasthan Royals. They have produced some extraordinary players for India and overseas right from the inaugural edition of the IPL. With Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, David Miller, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Jos Buttler, etc. by their side, the RR team is not short of talent. It is just the execution, which they need to plan right to go deep in the competition.
Talking about the auctions, the Royals invested a whopping sum of INR 16.25 Cr for South Africa’s tall and lanky all-rounder Chris Morris, making him the highest-paid individual in IPL auction history. His inclusion in the squad will bolster their bowling attack as he will form a formidable pair with Jofra Archer with the new ball. Below is the list of the total number of players bought by the RR team in the auction.
- Chris Morris (South Africa) – ₹16.25 Cr
- Shivam Dube – ₹4.40 Cr
- Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) – ₹1 Cr
- Chetan Sakariya – ₹1.20 Cr
- KC Cariappa – ₹20 Lakh
- Liam Livingstone (England) – ₹75 Lakh
- Kuldip Yadav – ₹20 lakh
- Akash Singh – ₹20 lakh
They have now got all their bases covered with the inclusion of three overseas and five Indian faces in auction buys.
Players to watch out
After omitting two big guns in Steven Smith and Robin Uthappa, the Rajasthan Royals are looking to reinvent their campaign. Over the years, they have given so many underwhelming performances and appointing Sanju Samson as the captain clearly states their urge to go different this time around.
They have vast international experience in the likes of Jofra Archer, Chris Morris, David Miller, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes. With Jos Buttler being the vice-captain of England’s limited-overs squad, he will be giving all his insights to the newly appointed skipper Sanju Samson. As far as the bowling is concerned, Jofra Archer, Chris Morris, Saurashtra’s domestic veteran Jaydev Unadkat will be packing a three-way punch. Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh are two rookie pacers on the side, while the leg-spin duo of Shreyas Gopal and Mayank Markande will keep a check in the spin department.
RR Scheduled Matches For IPL 2021
The RR squad will kick-off their IPL 2021 campaign with five games in Mumbai. They will then move to Delhi for four, Kolkata for three, and Bengaluru for two games. Below is their full schedule.
Match 1: Rajasthan Royals VS Punjab Kings, April 12, Mumbai, 7:30 PM
Match 2: Delhi Capitals VS Rajasthan Royals, April 15, Mumbai, 7:30 PM
Match 3: Rajasthan Royals VS Chennai Super Kings, April 19, Mumbai, 3:30 PM
Match 4: Rajasthan Royals VS Royal Challengers Bangalore, April 22, Mumbai, 7:30 PM
Match 5: Kolkata Knight Riders VS Rajasthan Royals, April 24, Mumbai, 7:30 PM
Match 6: Rajasthan Royals VS Mumbai Indians, April 29, Delhi, 3:30 PM
Match 7: Rajasthan Royals VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 2, Delhi, 3:30 PM
Match 8: Chennai Super Kings VS Rajasthan Royals, May 5, Delhi, 7:30 PM
Match 9: Mumbai Indians VS Rajasthan Royals, May 8, Delhi, 7:30 PM
Match 10: Rajasthan Royals VS Delhi Capitals, May 11, Kolkata, 7:30 PM
Match 11: Rajasthan Royals VS Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata, May 13, 7:30 PM
Match 12: Rajasthan Royals VS Royal Challengers Bangalore, May 16, Kolkata, 3:30 PM
Match 13: Rajasthan Royals VS Kolkata Knight Riders, May 18, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
Match 14: Rajasthan Royals VS Punjab Kings, May 22, Kolkata, 7:30 PM
RR Expected Playing Eleven For The First Game Against PBKS
- Yashasvi Jaiswal/Manan Vohra
- Jos Buttler
- Sanju Samson (C)
- Ben Stokes
- MahipalLomror/Shivam Dube
- Rahul Tewatia
- Riyan Parag
- Chris Morris
- Jofra Archer
- Shreyas Gopal
- Jaydev Unadkat
Complete RR Team Squad For IPL 2021
Sanju Samson (C), Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Liam Livingstone, K.C. Cariappa, Chetan Sakariya, Akash Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Manan Vohra, MahipalLomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldip Yadav, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Christopher Morris, Shivam Dube, Mustafizur Rahman
Time to wrap up: Yet again, the Rajasthan Royals have stacked up a promising squad and would be looking to deliver this time around. They have quality in bowling and depth in bowling which might do wonders for them and help them make their way into the playoffs. Stay tuned for many more updates on IPL 2021.
