Rajasthan Royals won the first edition of the Indian Premier League under the leadership of Aussie legend Shane Warne. The spin legend, playing as coach-cum-captain, led a young side with lesser-known names to victory over an MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
Warne has been associated with the franchise for a long time and has helped scout many young prospects. Coming into last year's tournament after a two-year suspension, the Royals finished fourth in what was a decent show in the absence Australian stalwart Steve Smith. Let's have a look at the RR squad which is a mix of youth and experience, the strengths and their chance at IPL 2019:
Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Prashant Chopra, Sanju Samson, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi, Aryaman Birla, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ashton Turner, Riyan Parag, Mahipal Lomror, Shubham Ranjane, Sundhesan Midhun, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Ish Sodhi, Shreyas Gopal
Support Staff
Coach: Paddy Upton
Mentor: Graeme Smith
Batting coach: Amol Muzumdar
Spin Bowling coach: Sairaj Bahutule
Fast Bowling coach: Steffan Jones
Fielding coach: Dishant Yagnik
Physiotherapist: John Gloster
Strengths:
Steven Smith's return to the squad after serving a one-year ban is a huge plus for the Jaipur franchise as the Australian skipper is capable of decimating opposition with his dominant batting.
Englishmen Ben Stokes and Jos Butler make up for a strong foreign batting contingent. Jos Butler fired for the Pink City team last year and the fans would be hoping he can make it big this season as well.
Bowling responsibilities rely heavily on Jaydev Unadkat who was released and then bought back again. The owners have put their faith on the left-arm seamer and he needs to better his performance to pay back.
Jofra Archer has been doing pretty well in T20 leagues across the world and the same is expected from the Barbados born English bowler in India. Kiwi leggie Ish Sodhi can perfectly spin the web around the opposition in sub-continent conditions.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson complete the top-order which looks very strong.
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Question Marks:
Steve Smith's return may be hampered by the elbow injury he suffered while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Even if Steve Smith does play in the tournament initially, he will depart early to train for the ICC World Cup. The Royals will have the same concern about Ben Stokes and Jos Butler as well.
Though the batting looks solid, the bowling isn't as strong with Jaydev Unadkat being the only notable Indian bowler. Not much can be said about Varun Aaron's fitness.
The bench doesn't consist of many known faces and the Royals can be in trouble after the departure of their World Cup-bound recruits.
Predictions:
Rajasthan Royals are not the most fancied side on paper but they are known to cause upsets in previous editions. A spirited performance can lead them into the playoffs but with their bench strength it looks like they may end up in the bottom four this time.
Best XI:
Ajinkya Rahane (C)
Jos Butler(F)
Sanju Samson
Steve Smith(F)
Ben Stokes(F)
Rahul Tripath
Krishnappa Gowtham
Jofra Archer(F)
Jaydev Unadkat
Shreyas Gopal
Dhawal Kulkarni
RR's fixtures:
25 March - RR vs KXIP
29 March - SRH vs RR
31 March - CSK vs RR
2 April - RR vs RCB
History:
2008: 1st
2009: 6th
2010: 7th
2011: 6th
2012: 7th
2013: 3rd
2014: 5th
2015: 4th
2016: Suspended
2017: Suspended
2018: 4th