IPL 2018, Rajasthan Royals squad analysis: RR substantial with bat, spin deficient

Rajasthan Royals will be making a comeback in the Indian Premier League after 2 years

Rajasthan Royals will be making a comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after serving two years of suspension. After retaining their stellar captain Steve Smith from the previous set of players, Rajasthan went all guns blazing in the recently concluded auctions to form a squad which looks balanced on all fronts. The team has had a history of buying players wisely and taking a rather economical approach in the sale but this time around the story was different. They dished out big money and roped in the most expensive players in the mega sale. English all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was the most expensive buy in the mega sale along with Indian pacer Jaydev Unadkat, who was the most expensive domestic buy were both roped in by the royals for a combined amount of a staggering Rs 24 crore.

Rajasthan have maintained a mix of youth and experience at their disposal by picking in some decent Indian and overseas batsmen. Unlike others, they haven’t invested heavily on spin but have managed to fill almost all slots with backups. However, despite splurging big they have failed to impress with their buys and their strategy of relying on Indian talent in the bowling department can misfire. Also, there are growing concerns over Stokes’ presence in the competition. If he fails to make it through, Rajasthan will have to compensate heavily.

They only have a handful of overseas players to look at with three all-rounders in Ben Stokes, D’Arcy Short and Jofra Archer, two top-class batsmen: Steve Smith and Jos Butler, but the bowling department lies lacklustre with only one specialist overseas pacer making it. Ben Laughlin will be the only non-Indian pacer in the setup which might hurt Rajasthan in the later stages of the competition. However, the team has had previously coped up with the pressure of going up against big teams with a relatively moderate squad and this year looks no different. Rajasthan will tussle hard to progress until the very end with whatever they have got.

Here’s a look at how Rajasthan Royals did in the IPL 2018 Player auction:

Strengths: Rajasthan’s batting will be their major strength in the competition. They have got a very good mix of young Indian and experienced foreign batsmen with a few pinch-hitters too in the fray. Rahul Tripathi, who was phenomenal in his debut season in the IPL with the Rising Pune Super Giant last year will be opening the attack with the veteran Ajinkya Rahane, followed by skipper Steve Smith, Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes. They have the likes of Short and Archer who can fire late which makes the batting unit look formidable. Jos Butler and Stuart Binny can be both handy with the bat at any position that they are played in. Overall Rajasthan would be keen on letting the batsmen do the talking for them in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

Weaknesses: Rajasthan Royals have failed to rope in a top-class spinner. The spin doesn’t look much promising with fewer options. Ankit Sharma and Krishnappa Gowtham are the only options and they have no big name in the squad who can lead the pack. Captain Steve Smith will have to dig in hard or maybe take the matter into his own hands in turning track like one of Chennai. Apart from the spin, Rajasthan also lacks experience in the side with a few capped Indian players available. Stuart Binny, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat are the only capped players in the squad. Out of the four only Rahane is the active member of the Indian team. The uncapped talent, if doesn’t work well, Rajasthan may be cribbing the big buys which won’t be able to help much.

Smart buy: Rahul Tripathi at Rs 3.4 crore was a bargain for the Royals who were on a desperate lookout for an opener. Tripathi had a stellar first season with Pune in the last edition of the IPL and has emerged as one of the most talented batsmen in the domestic circuit. He has the ability to accelerate as well as control the innings and will be looking forward to reuniting with a number of his Pune teammates who are now part of the Royals’ squad. He scored 391 runs at an average of superb 27.92 and an equally impressive strike rate of 146.44. There are a very few teams who have the advantage of having an Indian opener at their disposal which makes Tripathi an invaluable asset for the franchise.

Rajasthan Royals: Steve Smith (retained 12.5 crore), Ben Stokes (12.5 c), Ajinkya Rahane (4 c), Stuart Binny (50 Lakh), Sanju Samson (8 c), Jos Buttler (4.4 c), Rahul Tripathi (3.4 c), D’Arcy Short (4 c), Jofra Archer (7.2 c), K Gowtham (6.2 Cr), Dhawal Kulkarni (75L RTM), Jaydev Unadkat (11.5 cr), Ankit Sharma (20L), Anureet Singh (30L), Zahir Khan Pakteen (60L), Shreyas Gopal (20L), MS Midhun (20L), Prashant Chopra (20L), Ben Laughlin (50L), Mahipal Lomror (20 L), Aryaman Birla (30 L), Jatin Saxena (20L), Dushmantha Chameera (50 L)