Rajasthan Royals - IPL 2023 Squad Analysis

image-lfjea7pqRajasthan Royals played the finals of IPL 2022 (Source: iplt20.com)

After a hectic home season, it's time to celebrate the most joyous cricketing window of the year by welcoming the biggest T20 extravaganza, the Indian Premier League. Like every year, this IPL season promises to enthral cricket fans across the globe with some fierce on-field contests involving jaw-dropping twists. 

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Speaking of the Rajasthan Royals, the franchise had a dream start to the IPL, winning the inaugural season under the astute leadership of Shane Warne. However, the journey hasn't been a great one for the Royals since then, as they have failed to add another trophy to their cabinet despite qualifying for the knockouts several times.

However, their recent performance is encouraging as they stormed their way through to the final last season. 

So, can RR go all the way and put an end to their title drought? Let's analyse and find out. 



Rajasthan Royals IPL 2023 Squad

Batters: Sanju Samson, Yashaswi Jasiwal, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jorel, Kunal Tahore, Joe Root.

All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira,  Akash Vasisht, Abdul PA.

Bowlers: Trent Boult, KC Cariappa, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa, KM Asif, Murugan Ashwin.


Strength

  • Top Order: Rajasthan Royals have a formidable top-order comprising the ever-reliable Jos Buttler, the promising Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson. While Buttler and Jaiswal form a perfectly complimentary pair, Samson's presence at number three will ensure a solid foundation for their innings in most games. These three players are pivotal for their success in the tournament. 
  • Spin department: Rajasthan Royals have an all-round spin bowling unit, studded with two of India's best spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. If that was not enough, they added Adam Zampa to their squad in the mini-auction to make their spin unit look invincible. Also, there are two decent supportive spinners in KC Cariappa and Murugan Ashwin in the Royals' camp, suggesting their spin-to-win strategy going to the tournament. 
  • Indian pace bowling options: Besides Prasidh Krishna, who will miss the tournament due to injury, Rajasthan have four quality Indian seamers- Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav and KM Asif. With the kind of pace these bowlers operate at, they can give the opponents a run for their money. So, the number of domestic seam bowling reserves is definitely a positive for RR. 


Weakness

  • Lack of genuine all-rounders: Although it's understandable that the Royals think tank believes in investing in pure batters and bowlers, we are pretty much aware of how big a role the multidimensional players play in the shortest format, and, the Royals have only a single genuine all-rounder in Jason Holder. Although we don't doubt Holder's ability, if somehow he fails to deliver, then RR will go through some serious headache regarding their team combination. 
  • Death bowling: While the Royals have a decent looking pace battery comprising Trent Boult, Jason Holder and Kuldeep Sen, the numbers of these three bowlers in the slog overs aren't encouraging. So, we reckon they will struggle to control the flow of runs in the last five overs, especially on good batting decks. 


Opportunity

  • Akash Vasisht: Being a left-handed batter and a left-arm leg spinner, Akash Vasisht can fulfil Rajasthan Royals' quest for a multidimensional player in their playing XI. Overall, in 17 games, the 28-year-old has slammed 322 runs at a blistering strike rate of 146.36 and scalped seven wickets. So, considering it's his first IPL outing, we expect the youngster to grab eyeballs through some impressive performances. 


Threat

  • Vulnerability of key middle-order batters: Despite being talented, Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag have been inconsistent in their career so far. While Padikkal, after leaving RCB, was a misfit at number four in the Royals' line up last year, Parag has failed to nail the finisher's role for the franchise. If these two players blow hot and cold with the bat, the Royals will again be dependent on Buttler, Samson and Hetmyer for their success in the tournament. 

image-lfjikrhqRajasthan Royals SWOT Analysis (Source: OneCricket)


RR Rating Card

Top-order: 9.5/10
Upper middle-order: 7/10
Lower middle-order: 6.5/10
Pace-bowling: 7/10
Spin-bowling: 9/10

Overall Rating: 8/10


Prediction

RR have some outright match-winners, but they will primarily rely on individual brilliance to succeed in the IPL this season. So, we believe they will exit the tournament with a wooden spoon in their kitty.