IPL 2019: Five players who could be released by Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals produced a spectacular performance in the IPL 2018 after returning from their two-year suspension. The team lead by Ajinkya Rahane won four out of its last five group games and secured a place in the playoffs ahead of giants like Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Royals bowed out of the competition in the Eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders but they were weakened by the departure of their star players at that stage.
This year, Royals missed out the services of Steve Smith for the whole season and named Ajinkya Rahane as the captain. Their expensive buys like Ben Stokes and Jaidev Unadkat failed to perform as expected yet the team conjured stirring performances. In Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham and Jofra Archer, they found new heroes. By sending Jos Buttler at the top, RR changed their fortunes and sealed entry into the playoffs.
However, a few factors did not work out well for the Royals team. Apart from Jofra Archer, the Royals lacked penetration in the bowling department. The Rajasthani team failed to make the most of Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen in the early half and paid the price for it.
With the trade window now open before the IPL Auction takes place on 16th December, Rajasthan Royals have the chance of releasing a few players who do not fit into their scheme. Being the wisest spender of the tournament, RR can release these five players before IPL 2019.
#5 Stuart Binny
The Karnataka all-rounder is rather infamous in the Indian cricket discussion despite delivering a few memorable performances. Binny is regularly trolled on the social media but the cricketer has been churning decent returns in domestic cricket.
The 2018 IPL season was not a success for Binny, and he struggled to consolidate his position in the playing XI. In the seven matches that he played, he scored only 44 runs from 39 balls. The strike rate of 113 while coming out to bat in the death overs was extremely poor. Binny bowled only once and conceded 33 runs from his spell of two overs.
By releasing Stuart Binny, Rajasthan Royals can search for another seaming all-rounder who can take place of Ben Stokes in case he is unavailable. Binny was bought for 50L INR and it will be wise for RR to release the 34-year old Bengaluru player.