IPL 2021 | Team Preview: With new leader, RR seek to turnaround reign
Rich in traditions, richer and more popular for its history, Rajasthan is one of the states in the country that is a paradise for historians and archeologists. The culture intrigues an individual so much that you want to know more and more about it. But does the Rajasthan-based IPL franchise team Rajasthan Royals attract the same amount of interest for cricket lovers or the pundits? Well, whether for good or for bad, but YES it does. You talk about the inaugural tournament win, you talk about the spot-fixing scandal and the ban and you talk about the inconsistency. But you do talk about this team. However, the question that pops up here is whether a team that plays the sport can ever be satisfied with just being a topic of discussion and not being a part of the history books for good? Surely NOT. The side has featured in eight seasons since their successful triumph in the first edition but has failed to leave a mark. A lot needs to be changed and a lot needs to be tweaked if the franchise has to live up to the name of the state it represents. The RR team hasn’t had some major success in the IPL except for the one trophy that they have in the cabinet. But as they say you can’t change your past but can learn from the experiences. The team needs to work on this mantra when they go and battle it out in the IPL 2021. With some new faces in the ranks, RR need to rub-off the past and produce some impactful performances in the forthcoming season of the IPL. The franchise has already taken some bold steps and one of them was releasing the Australia batsman Steve Smith ahead of the mini auctions held in Chennai in February. Moreover, the Rajasthan franchise handed the captain’s hat to wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson. Ride on all-rounders to prosper Despite retaining Ben Stokes and Rahul Tewatia in the line up, Rajasthan Royals went after two more all-rounders, Chris Morris and Shivam Dube. They didn’t just buy Morris but made him the costliest pick ever in the history of IPL auctions. The South African all-rounder went to the team for a sum of Rs. 16.25 Cr. RR also made a hefty amount to buy Dube who was earlier released by RCB. The Royals paid Rs 4 Cr to add Dube in their line up. Stokes and Dube can now be the two options for RR who can bat in the middle order and can also chip in with four overs. Morris on the other side is an efficient fast bowler with some good line, length and speed and has the ability to bat in the lower middle order. Spinner Tewatia would be the fourth option who might get a chance to play in the XI. We have seen his hard hitting ability in the last edition’s IPL while the Haryana player can also chip in with some overs. FULL SQUAD: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh SUPPORT STAFF Director of cricket: Kumar Sangakkara, Lead assistant coach: Trevor Penney, Batting coaches: Amol Muzumdar, Sid Lahiri, Fast bowling coach: Rob Cassell, Fast bowling development coach: Steffan Jones, Spin bowling coach: Sairaj Bahutule Spin bowling consultant: Ish Sodhi Batsmen with hostile batting style From Jos Buttler to David Miller and from Ben Stokes to Shivam Dube, Rajasthan Royals certainly have a line up that comprises the batsmen that can fetch runs pretty quickly at any given stage of the game. Recently, we saw Stokes hammered the Indian bowlers all around the park during the second ODI in Pune where he scored 99 runs in a winning cause batting at number three. England's decision of making Stokes bat at number three especially in absence of injured captain Eoin Morgan has opened gates for RR to give a thought to this approach and have the left-hander bat at the position. Stokes’ batting abilities and capability of scoring runs at a brisk pace can prove a nightmare for the opposition bowling attack. Talking about the middle order, the Rajasthan team has a pretty sorted middle order. The only problem they will face would be having plenty. With batsmen like Miller, captain Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Tewatia, Liam Livingstone, Dube and also Morris there, the Royals won’t find it much difficult to create a strong middle order batting line up. But with Steve Smith and Robin Uthappa out of the team, RR need to have an extra opening option apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal who was retained ahead of the mini auctions and Buttler. Manan Vohra can be one man who can step up to provide his services in this position if required. Vohra who has been a part of the RCB in the earlier seasons also has the experience of batting at the opening slot. Packed bowling attack England pacer Jofra Archer’s participation in the IPL 2021 is under dark clouds after he sustained injury during the India tour. But Jofra’s absence wouldn’t really create much of a stress for RR management as they have Andrew Tye as a like for like replacement while the RR fast bowling is well equipped with Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat, Morris, Dube, Stokes, Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman and Akash Singh in the team. With Tyagi, Undakat, Morris being the first choice pacers for the franchise, it would be difficult for Tye to find a place for himself in the XI. Rajasthan Royals are probably the first team with a bulk of leg-spinners in their ranks. Shreyas Gopal has been a regular in the RR line up while they also have Tewatia in the unit. Tewatia can emerge to be a useful option as he can also score a few quick runs in the middle and death overs. Markande and Cariappa are the two other leg spinners who might find a place for themselves in the XI. RR would be reluctant to play more than one main spinner in the whole tournament because they will be playing in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru. Out of these, Delhi and Kolkata are probably the venues that can be helpful for the leggies. They will play seven matches in total at these two venues. Neutral venues- A Boon or Curse? Rajasthan Royals will begin the campaign for the IPL 2021 in Mumbai against Punjab Kings on April 12 and will play five matches in the city. Mumbai will offer the tracks where the ball comes on to the bat while the pacers can get some advantage if they have the ability to create problems for the batsmen. So, with the kind of batting unit that the RR have, they can be pretty dominant with the bat. Talking about their bowling at this particular venue, Morris and Kartik Tyagi can be the two bowlers who can rattle the opposition with their pace. The Rajasthan team will then move to Delhi and Kolkata. Both the venues might have something for the spinners while the city of Kolkata can also have something to offer to the pacers. The team will then play in Bangalore which can turn out to be a paradise for the RR batsmen. Moreover, RR have a number of left-handed batsmen in their team which makes it easier for them to tackle the spinners especially leg spinners. What are the chances? Well, looking at the past records, RR would surely want to turn the fortunes for themselves. They have a strong and aggressive batting line up with a lethal fast and spin bowling unit in the arsenal. Nevertheless, the chances can only be judged after the initial part of the competition is over. PROBABLE XI Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Ben Stokes, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tagi