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From Rags To Riches: Rajasthan Royals IPL Team & Their Journey Over The Years

image-lgnpoa8xRajasthan Royals in action [Source: AP]

Over the years, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been an under-performing team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The management's decision to build on an experienced leader and a young set of players, have backfired in almost every season. 

However, RR gained a major success in the 2022 season, under the able leadership of Sanju Samson. They finished second on the table with nine wins in 14 games. Although, they could not lift the title, the team showed a promise on the back of talented batting unit and experienced bowlers. 

On that note, let's discuss the journey of Royals in the IPL: 

IPL 2008: RR does the unthinkable, lifts the title

The young RR squad led by Shane Warne in IPL 2008 started their campaign with a humbling defeat to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) by nine wickets. Some would have felt that the team might lose their confidence, but Royals struck back hard to win 11 of the rest 13 matches to top the league stage points table. 

image-lgmu4n1tRajasthan Royals team in 2008.(Twitter)

In the penultimate stage, they prevailed over Delhi by 105 runs. In a mouth-watering finale against Chennai Super Kings, Royals secured a victory on the last ball of the game and were crowned as the inaugural champions. 

Shane Watson and Sohail Tanvir led the batting and bowling charts respectively, while Yusuf Pathan contributed in both departments. 

2009 - 2021: Opportunity lost

The 2008 champions didn't show up in the subsequent seasons, as they faltered with their performances. The side was unable to reach the playoffs until the 2012 season. Under the leadership of Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson, they made an entry into the playoffs in 2013 and 2015 respectively. However, they could not be proficient enough in high pressure games. 

image-lgmtxw65Rahane, Watson and Dravid (Credits: BCCI)

After being banned for two years due to fixing allegations, RR returned in 2018 and reached the playoffs under Ajinkya Rahane. However, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator. 

2022: A perfect template

It was the 2022 season, which saw them being strong in both departments, and filling their all holes in a near perfect manner. The experience of Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler at the top provided stability to the team, while Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult brought their T20 expertise on most occasions. 

image-lgmtvyf5Rajasthan Royals (Twitter)

Although the Samson-led side crumbled under pressure to score only 130 in the final and lose the game, they realized the dream of featuring in a final for the first time after 2008. 

2023:Will history finally repeats itself?

image-lgnnke22Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer at the RR dugout. (IPLT20.com)

The Rajasthan Royals have had a successful season thus far, following their stumble in the final last year. 

They are currently leading the points table in IPL 2023, thanks to the excellent performance of each and every player. The team's openers have found their footing, captain Sanju Samson is playing exceptionally well, Yuzvendra Chahal currently ranks at the top for the purple cap and moreover they have discovered a valuable asset in Shimron Hetmyer, who is proving to be a great finisher for the team.

It will be interesting to see whether Rajasthan Royals can go one step further in 2023 to lift the coveted title.