IPL 2020: Rajasthan Royals SWOT Analysis
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be looking to step up their game after a forgettable outing in the 12th edition, where they finished 7th on the table.
To change things around, the inaugural winners of the IPL released 11 players - Liam Livingstone, Oshane Thomas, Prashant Chopra, Aryaman Birla, Rahul Tripathi, Sudheshan Midhun, Ashton Turner, Shubham Ranjane, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, and Stuart Binny.
However, the players forming the crux of the team - Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Shashank Singh, Mahipal Lomror, and Manan Vohra - were all retained.
Meanwhile, three players - Rahul Tewatia, Ankit Rajpoot, and Mayank Markande -- were traded in by the Andrew McDonald-coached team.
With ₹ 28.9 crores in their kitty, Rajasthan Royals had a busy auction and roped in as many as 11 players. Some of the biggest buys are experienced campaigner Robin Uthappa, Tom Curran, David Miller, and Andrew Tye.
Jaydev Unadkat and Oshane Thomas were also bought back. Apart from these, an interesting buy for the inaugural IPL champions is 17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was roped in for a massive ₹ 2.40 crores. That was some auction for the Rajasthan Royals!
Now, captain Steve Smith and his troops have a chance to start afresh in IPL 2020. Let us do a quick SWOT analysis of the Royals to gain some insights into their chances this season.
Strengths
Opening batsman Jos Buttler is one of the biggest strengths for the Rajasthan Royals. The explosive batsman scored 311 runs in 11 matches at a phenomenal strike rate of 151.70 and an impressive average of 38.87 in IPL 2019.
Captain Steve Smith also made an impressive return to international cricket by scoring 319 runs for the Royals at an average of 39.87 in IPL 12.
The Jaipur-based franchise have brilliant options behind the stumps in the form of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and now Robin Uthappa.
Furthermore, the superb trio of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler were instrumental in England's World Cup-winning campaign in 2019. They are all potential match-winners in their own right and one of RR's biggest strengths.
Shreyas Gopal clinched 20 wickets in 14 matches last season at an economy rate of 7.22 and commendable strike rate of 14.40. The spinner is one of RR's biggest strengths with his lethal leg-breaks. A good mix of both experienced and young players is another strength for the Rajasthan Royals and their fans will be delighted with how the squad that has been put together for IPL 2020.
Note: All statistics included are as of January 28, 2020