IPL 2021 Rajasthan Royals, Team Profile: RR See Fresh Direction under new captain Sanju Samson

For the Rajasthan Royals, waiting for a second Indian Premier League (IPL) title has been difficult and long. After winning their first IPL title in the opening version, the Royals never really met expectations, as the title grew year after year. On similar lines, in the IPL 2020, the Royals gave one of their worst performances, a bottom-up finish. However, a new captain in the talented Sanju Samson, replacing Steve Smith, could turn the tables this time for the Royals.

New stars

The Royals left no stone unturned in the IPL 2021 auction held in Chennai. He used his purse to good effect and bought Chris Morris for Rs 16.25 crore, making him the most expensive foreign signing ever in IPL cricket. He also raced in Shivam Dubey to increase his all-round options this season. The Royals also included Liam Livingstone, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakaria, KC Kariyappa and Akash Singh in their squad.

Old stalwarts

Given the current group of players, the continued failure to make it to the playoffs comes as a surprise. The presence of attacking limited-experts like Jose Butler, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Teotia, David Miller and Yashasvi Jaiswal has the potential to blow up any opposition line through individual performances. Not to forget Shreyas Gopal, England’s Joffra Archer and left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat who can break any batting order on their day.

The possibilities

Teotia, Rian Parag and Jaiswal may need to contribute more responsibly whenever the opportunity arises. Akash Singh, Manan Vohra and Mayank Markande are equally talented prospects who will need to grab opportunities when they come during the tournament.

Last season trip

Promoted

The Royals finished the IPL 2020 with only 12 points from 14 matches at the bottom of the points table. He recorded six wins and eight defeats, with a bizarre net run rate of -0.569.

The franchise can expect a rebuild under the leadership of new captain Sanju Samson, who himself wants to take the tournament by storm with his superb stroke-making and vastly unknown leadership qualities.