Opening pair and spinner will be important for Rajathan Royals in IPL 2023, fast bowling department will be a matter of concern
New Delhi. Rajasthan Royals (RR) team came close to winning their second Indian Premier League (IPL) title last year but Gujarat Titans made it a disappointment for them by lifting the trophy in their debut year. Now the Rajasthan team with their ‘match winning’ players will be eager to perform better in the upcoming season starting from 31st March.
The team, however, has retained its ‘core’ squad despite injuries to some players. Here is the ‘SWOT’ (‘Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threat’) analysis of Rajasthan Royals.
strength:
The strength of the team is its batting line-up with the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler looking dangerous and most potent. Other teams in the tournament will be wary of this pair. England T20 captain Butler continues to score runs till the 2023 season. Jaiswal is also in excellent form.
He scored 396 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at an average of almost 80, while in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he scored 266 runs at an impressive strike rate of 141.48. The left-handed batsman also scored a century for India A against Bangladesh A. The team’s middle order includes captain Sanju Samson along with Joe Root and Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer and the talented Riyan Parag. The spin department looks strong with the presence of Australian Adam Zampa along with the experienced duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.
weakness:
The role of an all-rounder is very important in limited overs cricket, in which the team can be weak. The team has only one quality all-rounder in Jason Holder of the West Indies, but South African Donovan Ferreira and domestic cricketers Abdul Basith and Akash Vashisht are yet to be tested at this stage. But the impact player rule can become a loophole for the team as it reduces the need for an all-rounder. Bowling can be a cause of concern for the Jaipur team. The pace attack looks normal except for Trent Boult. Things got worse for Rajasthan Royals with the famous Krishna missing the IPL due to a back fracture.
Now the responsibility will be on Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen and Obed McCoy of West Indies. Where pace bowling is a concern, the spin attack is in safe hands with Ashwin, Chahal and Zampa being one of the best in the tournament. Opportunities: The pace department looks weak but for Saini, Sen, KM Asif and Delhi left-arm pacer Kuldeep Yadav, the upcoming season could be a big chance to make a mark and make their presence felt. Along with this, the upcoming season will also provide opportunities to Holder and Zampa.
hazard :
Looking at the past record, the tournament has not been that great for Rajasthan Royals as they have a history of failures to their name. The team had won the inaugural edition title in 2008 under the captaincy of the late Shane Warne but after that the journey was disappointing till last year. Last year the team was runner-up. The team made it to the playoffs only thrice in the tournament’s history and was also suspended for two years. But in the coming season, coach Kumar Sangakkara’s team would like to build on the success with consistent performances.
