IPL 2022 | Rajasthan Royals have got most of their bases covered - Nick Knight

Inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals are proving to be the flavour of the ongoing season. With three wins in five games, the Royals are sitting pretty at number three in the table. However, more than the victories or their position in the points table, the quality in their arsenal and their performances have caught the eye of everyone.

Former cricketers Nick Knight and Graeme Swann, who are currently on commentary duties in the IPL, have heaped praises about the Sanju Samson-led unit. Speaking on Star Sports ahead of the Royals' latest encounter against the Gujarat Titans, Swann said that the 2008 IPL winners look five times better than last season.

"They look five times better than they were last year. They've done very well at the auctions (to put together a strong side)," he said. The Royals have been quite abysmal in the past few seasons. While they finished with a wooden spoon in 2020, they could only manage the 7th spot last season.

The overdependence on foreign recruits, lack of local depth in the bowling department- especially spinners- and the absence of quality finishers like Shimron Hetmyer were a few things that plagued Rajasthan over the years.

But they managed to plug a lot of gaps at the mega-auction by roping in the spin duo of Ashwin-Chahal, a gun finisher in Hetmyer and speedsters Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna.

Former England opener Nick Knight echoed the same as he said, "Rajasthan Royals have got most of their bases covered. I love the way they start with the new ball. I love the way they can start with a bang with Jos Buttler at the top. They've got the spin option in (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Yuzvendra) Chahal. Then there's (Shimron) Hetmyer, the finisher. So, I think they've got the resources (to produce a clinical show),"

The Royals currently possess the Orange Cap and the Purple Cap, thanks to Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal. The Rajasthan based franchise will look to carry on the good show and make it to the playoffs this time around. They have what it takes to win the title but will have to be more consistent in the upcoming weeks.