IPL 2022 Auction: 3 traits of the RR squad that put them ahead of the other teams
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) may be without an Indian Premier League (IPL) final appearance since the inaugural edition, but they are set for a fresh start in 2022.
After retaining the trio of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, RR focused on acquiring Indian talent at the IPL 2022 auction. They were successful in that regard and signed a few key overseas players towards the end of the auction as well.
RR's squad for IPL 2022: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell
Here are three things about RR that make them real contenders for the upcoming IPL season.
#3 RR cannot go wrong with their opening combination
RR have several batters, both Indian and overseas, who are capable of opening the batting. While this might give them a few selection dilemmas in IPL 2022, they can't go wrong with any opening combination they choose.
Jos Buttler is one of the most destructive T20 openers in the world, while Devdutt Padikkal has been a consistent performer for the Royal Challengers Bangalore over the last two IPL seasons. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a bright talent who was retained by the franchise ahead of the auction, while Sanju Samson has opened the batting in the past.
Buttler-Padikkal seems to be the most logical partnership at the top of the order, forming an excellent blend of youth and experience. And in case either batter struggles, RR can easily switch up their batting order and attempt to get the best out of their players.
#2 RR have a solid leadership group
Samson led RR well in IPL 2021 after being announced as the team's full-time captain ahead of the season. He made a series of gutsy decisions and led from the front with some refreshingly consistent batting, showing that leadership only elevates his game.
Having been retained by RR, Samson will continue to be the man at the helm for RR, who acquired a plethora of experienced players at the IPL 2022 auction to support their skipper and Buttler. Ravichandran Ashwin has led IPL teams in the past, while Yuzvendra Chahal has 114 matches under his belt in the league. Trent Boult is one of the most experienced overseas pacers in the IPL too.
RR have a solid leadership group that can guide their young core, consisting of players like Padikkal, Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Prasidh Krishna. With other astute minds like Kumar Sangakkara part of the support staff, the 2008 IPL champs have a solid decision-making team this year.
#1 RR's bowling attack has experience and variety
In Ashwin and Chahal, RR have a spin partnership that is teeming with veteran smarts and quality. Boult adds left-arm variety and new-ball prowess to the attack, with his extensive international experience bound to come in handy. Nathan Coulter-Nile has been active in the IPL recently and can serve as the third pacer alongside the Kiwi and Prasidh Krishna.
The members of RR's first-choice bowling attack complement each other well and can be very successful in tandem if they are assigned the right roles. Even fringe players like Navdeep Saini and KC Cariappa add something unique to the side, such as express pace and mystery spin respectively.
RR's lower-middle order might look a bit thin due to the absence of quality all-rounders, but the upside of that is their frontline bowlers being out-and-out specialists who gel well on paper.