IPL 2019: Strongest possible Rajasthan Royals XI
Rajasthan Royals were the Champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Ever since the title win in 2008, they have reached the playoffs only on three occasions and never qualified for the finals. Also, they were suspended during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and returned to the competition in 2018.
Led by Ajinkya Rahane, Rajasthan Royals finished fourth last year and released as many as 10 players from the 2018 squad.
Players released before the auction: D'Arcy Short, Heinrich Klaasen, Ben Laughlin, Dane Peterson, Zahir Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh, Ankit Sharma, and Jatin Saxena.
They have retained the core of the squad and made some good signings in the auction. They returned for Jaydev Unadkat with a whooping INR 8.4 Crore winning bid. They have strengthened their bowling department with the signing of Varun Aaron and Oshane Thomas.
On that note, let's take a look at the strongest possible Rajasthan Royals playing XI for IPL 2019.
Openers: Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane
Jos Buttler is one player from Rajasthan Royals squad who cannot be replaced from his batting position at any cost. Promoted to open the batting last season, the Englishman blasted five consecutive fifties. He was phenomenal in the tournament with 548 runs in 13 games at an average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 155.24. Later he was promoted as an opener for England in T20Is and he found immediate success. Buttler is key to Royals' success.
A consistent performer in IPL over the years, Ajinkya Rahane is a vital cog of Royals' set up. A versatile player who can bat anywhere in the top order, Rahane plays the role of an anchor in Royals' aggressive batting lineup. The 30-year-old has scored 3427 runs in IPL at an impressive average of 33. He is expected to bat at no.3 or no.4 for Royals in IPL 2019.