3 reasons why RR will win the IPL
The Rajasthan Royals were the first franchise to lift the IPL in 2008 under Australian Shane Warne's captaincy.
Almost thirteen years have passed since the Royals claimed the IPL title, and to date, it remains the only trophy in their cabinet. The RR team management has unearthed many young talents over the last decade, but the franchise has not even qualified for the summit clash since 2008, let alone win the championship again.
The Royals have made it to the top 4 in multiple seasons, only to falter in the high-pressure matches. Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, and Steve Smith led the Jaipur-based franchise after Shane Warne's retirement. However, none of them could emulate the success of the legendary leg-spinner.
This year, the RR team management has entrusted Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson with the leadership responsibilities. While Samson does not have much captaincy experience, here's why his team could win the IPL this season.
3. In-form uncapped players
The Rajasthan Royals have a great bunch of Indian uncapped cricketers for the 2021 IPL season.
Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, and Riyan Parag have already proven themselves as game-changers in the IPL.
Anuj Rawat was in excellent touch during the domestic season. He played some unbelievable shots off the fast bowlers in the domestic tournaments.
Chetan Sakariya is coming off a fantastic Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 campaign with the Saurashtra cricket team. Meanwhile, Manan Vohra recorded a century and two fifties in five innings for Chandigarh during the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Even Mahipal Lomror registered a hat-trick of half-centuries in the same competition.
The uncapped players' current form will ensure that RR's international stars get proper support in all the departments during IPL 2021.
2. Experienced T20 stars in the batting department who can attack from the first ball
Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson will have the responsibility of scoring runs in the top order for the Rajasthan Royals. Both wicketkeeper batsmen have enormous T20 experience under their belts.
Buttler and Samson will be backed by T20 stars David Miller and Liam Livingstone. Surprisingly, Miller warmed the benches for 13 matches last season, while Livingstone has returned to the franchise after a brief gap.
Miller has already produced extraordinary performances in the IPL. Recently, he played a magnificent knock of 85* runs for South Africa in a T20I against Pakistan. At the same time, Livingstone aggregated 426 runs in 15 innings of the Big Bash League. The Englishman has the experience of 128 T20 matches.
Manan Vohra received his 100th T20 cap during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the duo of Rahul Tewatia and Shivam Dube have made a name for themselves with their big-hitting skills.
All these batsmen have mastered the art of hitting the ball hard right from the word go. An attacking game by the RR batsmen can put the opposition under pressure. Just like the England cricket team, an aggressive approach could help RR a lot.
Since RR will play their league matches on batsman-friendly wickets in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru, they will fancy their chances all the more.
1. Two of the best all-rounders in the world will play for RR in IPL 2021
Ben Stokes is considered by many to be the greatest all-rounder of the modern era.
Stokes is one of only three players to have won the Most Valuable Player award in his debut IPL season. The ambidextrous all-rounder is the only player in IPL history to score a hundred in a successful run-chase twice, whereas he has also contributed his bit in the bowling and fielding departments.
Stokes will have the company of Chris Morris in the all-rounders' section this year. Morris is one of the top all-rounders in T20 cricket history, with 1,801 runs and 275 wickets to his name. The fact that he became the most expensive signing in IPL Auction history shows how highly he is valued by all and sundry.
If Jofra Archer is available for the final phase of the season, the Rajasthan Royals could prove to be unstoppable. Nevertheless, even the duo of Stokes and Morris will give much-needed balance to the RR lineup.
All-rounders have proven to be the difference-makers in IPL history. Hence, the presence of two top-quality overseas all-rounders makes RR the favorite to win the IPL trophy.