IPL 2020: Rajasthan Royals didn't invest enough in Indian players, says Brad Hogg
Former Australian left-arm wrist-spinner Brad Hogg believes that the Rajasthan Royals do not have enough quality Indian players in their line-up. He feels that they will have to rely on the likes of skipper Steve Smith, all-rounder Ben Stokes, and the explosive Jos Buttler to score the bulk of runs.
In the bowling department too, Brad Hogg believes that there is no standout Indian pacer who has ample international experience. Thus all the burden might fall on Jofra Archer to deliver wickets up top and at the death.
"Rajasthan Royals do not have any Indian batsmen that can clear the fence in the middle overs. They are going to have to rely on the likes of Smith, Stokes and Buttler to do that role. There is no real standout among the Indian bowlers who has done the job on a national scale. So for me, they did not invest enough in quality Indian players. If you have to win the IPL, you need to have a good core of Indian players in your list," Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
Jos Buttler's batting position is a big issue for me: Brad Hogg
Brad Hogg also believes that RR have too many openers. Players like Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa can make the field restrictions in the powerplay count by finding the gaps in the field. But according to Hogg, they cannot use the long handle and score quick runs in the middle overs.
Due to this, Hogg feels that Jos Buttler might have to play in the middle-order. But Buttler has already shown in the last two editions of the IPL that he is at his best when batting at the top of the order.
"The flaw for me is who is going to open the batting? Because for me, they have got Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa in their line-up. Both of them are very good with the new ball in the powerplay because they can pierce the field. But in the middle-overs, they slow down a bit and can't find the boundaries. So where does that leave Buttler in their batting line-up. That is a big issue for me," he added.
IPL 2020 is set to begin from September 19th and will be played across three venues in the UAE. Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to win their first title since the inaugural edition in 2008.