5 players who were signed by Rajasthan Royals but never played a game for RR in IPL
Rajasthan Royals (RR) were the inaugural winners of the Indian Premier League. Playing under the captaincy of Shane Warne, the Jaipur-based franchise scripted the perfect underdog story and stunned the Chennai Super Kings in the final to win the IPL 2008 trophy.
However, since then, the Royals have never been able to lay their hands on the trophy. Although the franchise signed the likes of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Jofra Archer, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson and several other stars, RR never managed to become champions again.
While the names mentioned above played multiple games for the Rajasthan Royals, the following five names never got a chance to play for the Jaipur-based IPL franchise despite being a part of the squad.
#1 Justin Langer - Joined RR in 2008
Current Australian head coach Justin Langer was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad that won the IPL in 2008. RR retained him for the 2009 season as well, but the Aussie never made his IPL debut.
Langer played only one match for the Rajasthan Royals. It was against Middlesex in the British Asian Challenge T20 Charity match.
#2 Aakash Chopra - Joined Rajasthan Royals in 2011
Famous cricket commentator Aakash Chopra played for two teams in his IPL career. While many fans will remember Chopra representing the Kolkata Knight Riders in the initial seasons, not many would know that he was even a part of the Rajasthan Royals squad.
Chopra earned an IPL deal from the Royals in 2011 and stayed with the franchise for two seasons. However, he never donned the RR jersey on the field.
#3 Deepak Chahar - Joined RR in 2011
Deepak Chahar could have made his IPL debut a decade ago had the Rajasthan Royals selected him in their playing XI even once in 2011. The right-arm pacer joined the Jaipur-based franchise ahead of the fourth IPL season.
Like Aakash Chopra, Chahar remained a part of the RR squad for two years but never played a game for the team.
#4 Paul Collingwood - Joined RR in 2011
Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood made his IPL debut for the Delhi Daredevils in 2010. A year later, he earned a contract from the Rajasthan Royals, but did not play a single match for them.
Collingwood was in the RR squad for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but his last appearance in an IPL match only came in 2010.
#5 Dinesh Chandimal - Joined Rajasthan Royals in 2012
Sri Lankan batter Dinesh Chandimal is yet to play a single match in the IPL. The right-handed batter received his maiden IPL contract from the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.
However, like other names on the list, Chandimal did not play a single match wearing the RR jersey. It will be interesting to see if he registers for the mega auction this year and returns to his former franchise after a decade.