Rajasthan Royals (RR) – IPL 2020

1. Rajasthan’s strengths lie in the fact that due to their continued dismal performances over the years and continued backing of relatively unknown names, they always start tournaments as underdogs. Flying under the radar without high expectations is underrated.
2. The batting, on paper, seems to be well suited for UAE conditions with a great mix of caution and aggression.
3. The bench strength of RR is impeccable and could be a handy feature to have in a lengthy tournament.

1. First things first, Rajasthan Royal’s spin department lacks a little variety. With the only viable off-spin available being that of Riyan Parag, RR could find themselves in muddy waters against oppositions with a plethora of southpaws.
2. A lack of spinning all-rounder, someone who can bowl 3-4 overs on a regular basis as well as bat in the top 6 could be a weakness for RR. To accommodate an additional spinner would eat into their batting depth.

1. With Ben Stokes certain to miss at least the first half of the tournament, Riyan Parag will find himself shouldering more batting and finishing responsibilities. We saw a glimpse of his talent in the last IPL so it is a perfect opportunity for him to have a breakthrough season and increase the cricketing and monetary value of his stock.
2. Absence of Ben Stokes also opens the doors for David Miller who seems to have slipped out of everyone’s minds as a player who could turn the match single-handedly. Hs has an opportunity to don the finisher role in this side and turn it into a much more formidable lineup.
3. This IPL is in many ways a huge opportunity for Steve Smith. It seems that when it comes to Steve Smith and Rajasthan Royals’ captaincy, “anything that can happen wrong, will happen”. He was appointed the captain of RR first in 2015, mid-way through the tournament. When it looked like he could carry RR though the coming years, RR and CSK were banned for 2 years. In 2018, when both these teams returned and Steve Smith was retained by RR as well as appointed the captain, one thought that the next 3 years could be good for RR. Then the ball tampering saga happened. In 2019, Steve Smith returned, albeit only as a player, probably because RR (and in retrospect even SRH) wanted to play it safe and not appoint Smith and Warner as captains. 2020 is not the first Steve Smith is appointed as the first-choice captain of RR before the season has begun but it will be the first time where it looks like he will get to lead RR for a full season (fingers crossed). Don’t bet your money on it though.

1. The unavailability of Ben Stokes is a huge threat. If RR do find ways to win without him, the arrival of Stokes in the 2nd half (if it does happen) will only complicate matters. Without Stokes though, on the flip side, RR could be complacent and rue the fact that to replace him, they would need 2 players.
2. The lure to play Yashasvi Jaiswal, an untried commodity when it comes to T20 cricket, could see Robin Uthappa, a ranked campaigner miss out on a berth. Frankly, under the right circumstances, I would prefer having Uthappa over Yashasvi to lend more stability to the batting but I would, too, be included to play Jaiswal this season. And that is a huge threat.

Mohammad Nabi —> Another ripple effect of Ben Stokes’ absence. Mohammad Nabi finds his name brought up for the second time in this section. In fact, Nabi would fit in better in this lineup, ever so more with Stokes absent. Nabi would provide similar if not greater finishing abilities than David Miller while also presenting a slow-bowling option to RR. It’s a shame that either Nabi won’t play at all for the SRH or he will play at the expense of Kane Williamson.

Jos Buttler —> He has a huge responsibility at the top of the order and in many ways is the leader of the batting attach. He would also need to shoulder wicket-keeping responsibilities as RR seem to prefer him over Sanju Samson. In case RR do go for Yashasvi Jaiswal as Buttler’s opening partner, Buttler would find himself guiding the youngster.

I have never been so indecisive about a prediction for RR before the start of the tournament as much as I have been this year. If I have to say, they will NOT make it to the playoffs but would easily finish 5th or 6th.

Download High Resolution RR Analytical images here