IPL 2020: 3 quality RR players who might be benched for the whole season
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) are yet to make the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since their title-winning campaign in the inaugural edition, but have managed to produce a number of quality players for the Indian cricket team.
And in the 2020 IPL, Steve Smith's side will look to punch above their weight as they do so often on the back of performances from the English trio of Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
RR's strength this year will be the host of young Indian talent, with U-19 World Cup stars Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh and Riyan Parag set to turn out for them.
Players who might warm the RR bench in the 2020 IPL
In the presence of so many upcoming Indian stars who will be given their due opportunities and experienced overseas professionals, many quality players might be restricted to the bench this year.
Here are 3 players who might not play a game for RR in IPL 2020.
#3 Oshane Thomas
Oshane Thomas has long been heralded as the man to take West Indian fast bowling to its 20th century heights, but has failed in this quest so far owing to poor fitness levels and inconsistency. Capable of bowling fast and hitting the deck hard, the young quick hasn't quite been able to justify his immense potential so far.
In 4 IPL games for RR, Thomas has picked up 5 wickets at an economy rate of a shade under 8. Even in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, the West Indian's form has been patchy, with him frequently being carted around the park.
In the presence of Archer, as well as former Purple Cap winner Andrew Tye and Englishman Tom Curran, Thomas might not be able to get a game for RR in this year's IPL.
#2 Manan Vohra
After excelling for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, Manan Vohra was expected to make a run for a spot in the Indian cricket team, but hasn't even come close to a national call-up. The youngster, who has scored over 1,000 runs and notched up 3 fifties in the IPL, was snapped up by RR ahead of the 2019 IPL auction at his base price.
However, Vohra didn't get a game last year, despite being in a team that is known to promote youth. The 27-year-old might just have finally got his chance to reestablish himself in the IPL, were it not for the acquisition of Jaiswal and Robin Uthappa.
Despite his class and stroke-playing ability, the Punjab batsman might not be able to add to his 49 IPL appearances in this year's IPL.
#1 David Miller
The trust that IPL franchises have shown in David Miller has rapidly decreased since his disastrous 2016 IPL season in which he scored only 161 runs in 14 games at an average of 16.11. His following two IPL seasons saw him appear in only 5 and 3 games respectively.
Although Miller did experience a brief revival last year with KXIP, his numbers of 213 runs in 10 games don't exactly make for great reading. The South African has found it difficult to get going early on in his innings, with his rotation of strike also under the scanner in recent years.
Miller is a shadow of the batsman he was during his assault on RCB many years ago, but is still more than capable of turning games on their heads. The 31-year-old was also in good form in the Proteas' limited-overs series against Australia earlier this year, and there's no denying his quality despite his patchy form of late.
However, the presence of Steve Smith and Ben Stokes might lead to Miller being benched for the entirety of the 2020 IPL season.
Also Read: IPL 2020: 3 players KXIP might regret letting go of