IPL 2019 team guide: Rajasthan Royals
They’ve got a squad with loads of England players in it. In unrelated news they are probably going to do quite badly. That’ll be the Rajasthan Royals, then.
Coach: Paddy Upton
Captain: Ajinkya Rahane
Previous Best: Winners (2008)
IPL history
2008: Winners
2009: 6th
2010: 7th
2011: 6th
2012: 7th
2013: 3rd
2014: 5th
2015: 4th
2016: Banned
2017: Banned
2018: 4th
Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai Indians | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kings XI Punjab | Delhi Capitals | Sunrisers Hyderabad
Why They’ll Win It:
They won’t. They’ve added precious little depth to a squad carried almost single-handed to the playoffs by Jos Buttler’s antics at the top of the order. Buttler will do his bit once more, but it’s probably unrealistic to expect him to average 107 again.
Let’s find some reasons to be cheerful. Ben Stokes was the MVP in 2017. They’ve got Jofra Archer as well and thus potentially three members of a team that will start the World Cup as favourites. We’re big fans of Oshane Thomas as well.
Why They Won’t:
The weakest crop of domestic players in the tournament. Ajinkya Rahane is a class act but T20 is not his strongest suit. After that you’re pretty much straight into decent but distinctly second-tier names like Sanju Samson and Jaydev Unadkat.
As well as being hugely reliant on their overseas players, they also face the prospect of losing several of them before the end of the tournament for World Cup duty.
Unpredictable things happen in the IPL, and there are genuine match-winners among the overseas ranks, but before a ball is bowled the IPL’s inaugural winners look the likeliest to claim the wooden spoon this time around.
Star Man – Jos Buttler:
A revelation at the top of the order 12 months ago, his form so good that it got him back into England’s Test team where he is now firmly established.
The Royals will need him to replicate that form from a year ago for as long as he’s around if they are to have any real chance of making a dent on the tournament.
Here it is! It's new, it's vibrant and it's Royal Pink! 😍
We know you've all been waiting for it, Royals! How does it feel, seeing the lads don it for the first time? 💗 #HallaBol pic.twitter.com/H6MBBFjxaL
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 22, 2019
Full squad: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Rahul Tripathi, Steve Smith (Aus), Aryaman Birla, Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler (Eng, wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Prashant Chopra, Ben Stokes (Eng), Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer (Eng), K Gowtham, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone (Eng), Ashton Turner (Aus), Shubham Ranjane, Shreyas Gopal, Ish Sodhi (NZ), Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas (WI).
Monday March 25
2000 IST/1430 GMT: Kings XI Punjab, Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur
Friday March 29
2000 IST/1430 GMT: Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium Hyderabad
Sunday March 31
2000 IST/1530 BST: Chennai Super Kings, MA Chidambaram Stadium Chennai
Tuesday April 2
2000 IST/1530 BST: Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Sunday April 7
2000 IST/1530 BST: Kolkata Knight Riders, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Thursday April 11
2000 IST/1530 BST: Chennai Super Kings, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Saturday April 13
1600 IST/1130 BST: Mumbai Indians, Wankhede Stadium Mumbai
Tuesday April 16
2000 IST/1530 BST: Kings XI Punjab, IS Bindra Stadium Mohali
Saturday April 20
1600 IST/1130 BST: Mumbai Indians, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Monday April 22
2000 IST/1530 BST: Delhi Capitals, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Thursday April 25
2000 IST/1530 GMT: Kolkata Knight Riders, Eden Gardens Kolkata
Saturday April 27
2000 IST/1530 BST: Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tuesday April 30
2000 IST/1530 BST: Royal Challengers Bangalore, M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore
Saturday May 4
1600 IST/1130 BST: Delhi Capitals, Feroz Shah Kotla Delhi
Latest
-
NewsOn this day in 2004: Muttiah Muralitharan beats Shane Warne to Test record
Muralitharan surpassed Courtney Walsh’s mark of 519 Test wickets.
-
NewsCraig Overton displays all-round talents to put Somerset on top
James Bracey also excelled as Gloucestershire pushed for victory over Middlesex.
-
NewsNottinghamshire in control against Essex as 15 wickets fall at Trent Bridge
James Anderson removed Marnus Labuschagne cheaply.
-
NewsEngland could stage remaining IPL games in September as counties contact ECB
It is believed the matches could be wrapped up in little over a fortnight if a model of two games a day and three on weekends was adopted.
-
NewsOn This Day in 1988 – Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick scores 405 in single innings
Hick set a 20th-century County Championship record six years before Brian Lara broke it with his 501 not out for Warwickshire.
-
NewsJofra Archer shows flashes of top form on return from injury
Archer continued his return to action in a Second XI County Championship match at Hove.
-
NewsChris Jordan says suspending IPL ‘the right call’ as he awaits return to England
There has already been plenty of debate over whether the tournament should have continued as long as it did during a public health emergency.
-
NewsOn this day in 2011: Alastair Cook was named as England’s new ODI captain
Cook replaced Andrew Strauss, who retired from one-day cricket, while Broad took over from Paul Collingwood.
-
NewsFormer Australian Test cricketer victim of targeted kidnapping, police say
MacGill played 44 Tests for Australia and took 208 wickets.
-
NewsEngland contigent start to return home after IPL postponed due to coronavirus
The majority of England’s players at the tournament are expected to fly home imminently.