The Rajasthan Royals are Twenty20 franchise-based Cricket Team that is based out of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
It features in the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL). The Team saw its inception in 2008 and was among the 8 franchises. The Rajasthan Royals plays its home matches at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
RR is often referred to as ‘MoneyBall’ squad of the IPL. They are known to possess higher potential talent, along with their involvement in scandals and controversies.
The Rajasthan Royals went on to win the inaugural season of the IPL way back in 2008, and the side was captained by Shane Warne. It did that when a majority of the media and fans had written it off as the contender of the title. They also finished as the runner up in 2013 Champions League Twenty20 (now defunct) led by Rahul Dravid.
Rajasthan Royals – Franchise Analysis
The Team had to face two-year suspension as approved by a panel appointed by the Honorable Supreme Court of India on July 15 2015, along with CSK.
They were handed a ban of two years over a betting scandal that took place in 2013.
It meant that RR could not participate in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. They made a comeback to IPL in 2018, along with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Ajinkya Rahane is the highest run-scorer for the Team with 2705 runs, while Shane Watson with 67 wickets is the leading wicket-taker.
Rajasthan Royals Wiki
| Captain | Steve Smith |
| Ambassador | Shane Warne |
| Rajasthan Royals Jersey | Predominantly pink jersey with accents of blue. |
| Theme Song | Halla Bol |
| Major Rival(s) | Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad. |
| Logo | Two ‘Rs’ back to back with trumpeting lions on either side and Rajasthan Royals inscribed, all in gold against a blue background. |
RR Administration and Support Staff
| Position | Name |
| Team Director | Zubin Bharucha |
| Team And Cricket Operations Manager | NA |
| Head Coach | Andrew McDonald |
| Batting Coach | Amol Muzumdar |
| Bowling Coach | Sairaj Bahutule |
| Fielding Coach | NA |
| Bowling Talent Development and Analytics | NA |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | NA |
| Physiotherapist | NA |
Rajasthan Royals Franchise History
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced the creation of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a Twenty20 tournament in September 2007.
The first season of the tournament was to begin during the summer of 2008. Out of the 8 franchise Teams; Rajasthan Royals were one of them. Emerging Media went on to purchase the franchise for $67 million.
RR was the least expensive Team to feature in the IPL.
The Rajasthan Royals is presently chaired and owned by Manoj Badale. Suresh Chellaram, Lachlan Murdoch and Aditya S Chellaram are other investors.
There have been controversies related to the ownership of the Team that led them to face expulsion from IPL in 2010.
The Rajasthan Royals were the least fancied Team when the marquee tournament was played for the first time in 2008. It made a $7.5 million pre-tax profit in 2009.
The suspension of the Team from IPL and comeback
BCCI decided to suspend Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the IPL in 2010. It did not go well with Shane Warne who affirmed that there might be some soiled play and BCCI may have dangerous motives behind the move. Hence, RR filed an appeal against the decision, and they went on to the Mumbai High Court to battle it out.
The court adjourned the same until 29 October and later revised to 15 November as it was coinciding with the Diwali celebrations from November 1 to 14.
Later on, the RR announced the court that it was looking to patch up with the IPL and would negotiate with an arbitrator. The arbitrator told that while it hears the case, the Team would be within the IPL’s part for 6 weeks.
During this period, it demanded that BCCI should be allowed to tweak rules as it may go against RR. Rajasthan Royals participated in the player Auction as it came under those 6 weeks. Post this; the appeals of the BCCI were rejected against featuring RR in the IPL for 6 weeks as the case was being sorted.
It was estimated that BCCI had to deal with loses in the court, along with the damage to its reputation. Hence, the BCCI did not take the case forward and allowed Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals to take part in the IPL.
RR 2015 Ban
The Rajasthan Royals had to face a ban of 2 years after the inquiry of the Lodha Committee. RR became the hub of controversies when irrelevant and fake bids were put into place, which violated the norms of the BCCI.
BCCI was not aware that Fraser Castellino and Ranjit Barthakur were two of the Teams’ stakeholders. Between both parties, an out of the court settlement was initiated. Rajasthan Royals had to face a ban of 2 years by the BCCI with Raj Kundra, its owner being banned for life.
Rajasthan Royals previous IPL Performances –
| Year | Captain | Result |
| 2019 | Ajinkya Rahane | 7th |
| 2018 | Ajinkya Rahane | 4th |
| 2017 | Suspended | — |
| 2016 | Suspended | — |
| 2015 | Shane Watson | 4th |
| 2014 | Shane Watson | 5th |
| 2013 | Rahul Dravid | 3rd |
| 2012 | Rahul Dravid | 7th |
| 2011 | Shane Warne | 6th |
| 2010 | Shane Warne | 7th |
| 2009 | Shane Warne | 6th |
| 2008 | Shane Warne | 1st |
RR Team Identity
The Team’s anthem was ‘Halla Bol’, and it was sung by Ila Arun in the first IPL season. Sunidhi Chauhan gave her vocals to it in the 2nd season. After the Team made a comeback in 2018, it released the anthem ‘PhirHallaBol’.
Rajasthan Royals Mascot
The mascot of the Rajasthan Royals is a Lion that is known as Moochu Singh.
Players’ combination
It has been the case with the Rajasthan Royals that it purchases uncapped players at high prices. But they are also known for economical spending during the Auctions of IPL, and it continues in Mega-Auction that is held every 3 years.
They have the recognition of giving breaks to players who have not even featured in first class games. Some of them included Pravin Tambe and Dinesh Salunkhe. They have also brought leading players into the Team fold multiple times during IPL seasons.
It includes Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid, Graeme Smith, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Mohammed Kaif, Munaf Patel, Ross Taylor, Brad Hogg, Damien Martyn, Shaun Tait and Justin Langer.
Many of the uncapped players have ended up being recognized as international Cricketers owing to their impressive performance in IPL and backing by the franchise. Two of those players included Taruwar Kohli and Yusuf Pathan, the elder brother of Irfan Pathan, the Indian all-rounder. He was an unknown face compared to his well-known younger brother.
The quality performances during IPL’s initial seasons helped him earn a call to feature in the Indian Cricket Team. He was a Team member that went on to win the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. Even Shane Warne became a regular member of the Australian Team after winning the 2008 season of the Indian Premier League.
During the later seasons of the IPL, Cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, and Pravin Tambe (won him a debut at 42 in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy) and others were recognized and made a name for them.
Dhawal Kulkarni, Tim Southee, Steve Smith, James Faulkner also made names after playing for the Royals. Ajit Chandila, who had played only 2 first class games and was convicted in the infamous spot-fixing disgrace, was RR’s one of the leading bowlers during the seasons of 2012-2013.
RR Home Ground
Rajasthan Royals’ home ground is the Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Stadium. The stadium came into being during the time of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. The ground is situated at Rambagh Circle’s corner. The stadium went into renovation in 2006 and is considered one of the best facilities in India with 30,000 seats. The Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad also held the matches for RR. After its comeback in the IPL in 2018, the Sawai Man Singh Stadium of Jaipur is holding the matches for RR.
Rajasthan Royals Fan Base
RR has a huge Fan Base in India. They are a popular Franchise, they have over 6 Million followers across all social media platforms combined.
| Platform | Followers | Link |
| RR Instagram | 879K | https://www.instagram.com/rajasthanroyals/ |
| RR Twitter | 1.1M | https://twitter.com/rajasthanroyals |
| RR Facebook | 4.1M | https://www.facebook.com/RajasthanRoyals/ |
| RR YouTube | 121K | https://www.youtube.com/user/rajasthanroyals |
Rajasthan Royals Stats
RR All-time Batting Stats
| Most Runs: | Sanju Samson : 3280 |
| Most Centuries: | Sanju Samson : 2 |
| Most Fifties: | Rahul Dravid : 11 |
| Best Average | Adam Voges : 45.25 |
| Best Strike Rate | Jos Butler : 150.81 |
| Most Sixes | Sanju Samson : 89 |
| Highest Score | Ben Stokes : 103* |
RR All-time Bowling Stats
| Most Wickets | Dhawal Kulkarni – 86 |
| Best Economy | Shane Warne – 7.27 |
| Best Bowling Figures | Sohail Tanvir – 4-14-6 |
| Best Average | Shreyas Gopal – 19.39 |
| Most 4 Wickets | Sohail Tanvir – 1 |
Rajasthan Royals team 2020
Here is the list of players that were bought and retained by Rajasthan Royals during 2020 IPL Auction.
| Player | Retained/bought/traded | Price (Rs cr) | Previous team |
| Akash Singh (uncapped) | Bought | 0.2 | MI |
| Andrew Tye | Bought | 1 | SRH |
| Anirudha Joshi (uncapped) | Bought | 0.2 | RR |
| Ankit Rajpoot | Traded in | 3 | SRH |
| Anuj Rawat (uncapped) | Bought | 0.8 | KXIP |
| Ben Stokes | Retained | 12.5 | CSK |
| David Miller | Bought | 0.75 | DC |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Bought | 3 | SRH |
| Jofra Archer | Retained | 7.2 | KXIP |
| Jos Buttler | Retained | 4.4 | CSK |
| Kartik Tyagi (uncapped) | Bought | 1.3 | RCB |
| Mahipal Lomror | Retained | 0.2 | SRH |
| Manan Vohra | Retained | 0.2 | KKR |
| Mayank Markande | Traded in | 2 | CSK |
| Oshane Thomas | Bought | 0.5 | RR |
| Rahul Tewatia | Traded in | 3 | DC |
| Riyan Parag | Retained | 0.2 | RR |
| Robin Uthappa | Bought | 3 | KKR |
| Sanju Samson | Retained | 8 | RR |
| Shashank Singh | Retained | 0.3 | RR |
| Shreyas Gopal | Retained | 0.2 | RR |
| Steve Smith | Retained | 12.5 | RR |
| Tom Curran | Bought | 1 | KKR |
| Varun Aaron | Retained | 2.4 | RR |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal (uncapped) | Bought | 2.4 | None |
Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 – Complete Team Analysis
The Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 seems to have focused on getting decent Indian talents after brainstorming on who would be their main 4 foreign players in the mix.
As things stand, the Team looks balanced on paper. They also had a decent IPL Auction on 19 December 2019 in Kolkata. RR helped them picking some young guns with Yashaswi Jaiswal leading the show.
RR also added Jaydev Unadkat and Robin Uthappa in the mix as they brought in the experience. But Unadkat was released and again purchased is the vital risk taken by the Team.
Also, Robin Uthappa had not had the best of the IPL during the last two IPL seasons, and it could be a big risk with Rs.6 crore riding on both these players. They did not spend over the top like other Teams and should be satisfied with the Auction that it had.
The Team brought in some crucial foreign players, and their pace attack looks amazing to provide support to Jofra Archer. Oshane Thomas, Tom Curran and Andrew Tye have also been brought as overseas pacers. David Miller was a bargain buy in the middle order, and he can add experience.
The Rajasthan Royals need to be consistent and sharp in the forthcoming season of the IPL led by Steven Smith. The fans must be expecting the standards to go high this time.
The combo of Jos Buttler and Steven Smith will need to shoulder the batting responsibility of the squad. Buttler has been remarkable as an opener for the Team and has in him to win matches by giving an electrifying start. A lot is resting on the shoulder of this English wicket keeper bat, and he is the best T20 batsman available for RR.
The Rajasthan Royals can also test and back Yashaswi Jaiswal, who has been in a nice nick in the domestic Cricket. The teenager may be a risk in the opening slot and provide support to Buttler. Uthappa could also be counted as an option for the squad. He has been an experienced player who can be of support to Buttler and steer the batting. Even Manan Vohra may also be a backup.
In Steve Smith, you get what is known as class. The RR Captain should be the crux in the top order and may be the deciding factor to steer the squad at Number 3. There is no one better than Smith who can anchor the innings and keep rotating the strike.
Sanju Samson can support the middle order well. He is also a natural hard hitter and has got skills to back him.
The Rajasthan Royals should be looking to encourage young guns, and Riyan Parag should be forming the middle order.
Ben Stokes is always there who can play his part but needs to improve his performances, which had nothing to mention in the last 2 seasons.
Miller can always be counted on if the Team needs an extra batter. Along with Mahipal Lomror, he can provide his squad with the cushion as supporting cast.
Here is a complete list of players in Rajasthan Royals 2020 Team –
| PLAYER | ROLE |
| Kartik Tyagi | All-rounder |
| Tom Curran | All-rounder |
| Shashank Singh | All-rounder |
| Akash Singh | Bowler |
| Ben Stokes | All-rounder |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsman |
| Ankit Rajpoot | Bowler |
| Anuj Rawat | Wicket Keeper |
| Shreyas Gopal | All-rounder |
| Varun Aaron | Bowler |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Bowler |
| Rahul Tewatia | All-rounder |
| Andrew Tye | Bowler |
| David Miller | Middle Order Batsman |
| Robin Uthappa | Batsman |
| Steve Smith | Batsman |
| Mayank Markande | Bowler |
| Aniruddha Joshi | All-rounder |
| Sanju Samson | Wicket Keeper |
| Mahipal Lomror | Bowler |
| Jos Buttler | Wicket Keeper |
| Manan Vohra | Batsman |
| Riyan Parag | Batsman |
| Oshane Thomas | Bowler |
| Jofra Archer | Bowler |
The bowling unit of RR looks decent in IPL 2020
Jofra Archer will be the man that Smith will love to go to provide him with crucial breakthroughs. He had been just pure class over the last two seasons by pocketing 26 wickets. His ability to being great atop and during the death overs can help RR. He has got a nice blend of skills, and he would need to be backing him up with the same consistency in IPL 2020.
Curran, Thomas and Tye are a fresh crop that can provide able support to Archer, but it would be exciting to see who gets how many matches. The Indian pacers include Ankit Rajpoot, Jaidev Unadkat and Varun Aaron and they will be picked up as per the final match conditions.
All three ooze of experience but may leak runs too, and the Management would need to utilize their services prudently. Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh add that youth element in the bowling department of RR.
Mayank Markande leads the spin attack for the Rajasthan Royals and should hope to get support from Shreyas Gopal. Rahul Tewatia is another bowling all-rounder, and we would call it a nice blend of spinners.
What are the weak points of RR in IPL 2020?
Rajasthan Royals does not have a finisher with proven worth so far. They can bat deep, and a lot will be riding on all-rounders like Gopal and Parag to score vital death runs.
It will be too soon to expect Jaiswal go bashing as he will be up against world’s best bowlers across Teams and here is where he may lack experience. Robin does not look what he used to a few years before and even Vohra is not that consistent.
In the bowling segment, Indian pacers don’t have the fire element. Overall, quality is what is missing from this RR Team set up. If Ben Stokes is not able to perform, then the Team will need to get someone like Miller and Curran in the final playing XI.
Our Verdict – Rajasthan Royals are not among best Teams to win IPL 2020
The Rajasthan Royals will need to have their 4 key stars to perform most of the tasks. The pace battery, if you include foreigners, looks strong and even the spin segment seems to have teeth than earlier this time.
Nonetheless, what may become troublesome for the Rajasthan Royals Management is the Indian bowling department. Also, the opening slot, other than not having anyone with that sheer power hitting ability in the lower middle order, may hurt RR.
But, after having said that, the Rajasthan Royals have a pretty young side, and they can contribute while playing as a determined unit.
Overall, the Rajasthan Royals bore a decent look.
But the lack of that killer instinct or what is called the ‘X Factor’, along with the dearth of potential players who can win a match on their own is a significant letdown.
When the Rajasthan Royals have their day, they have the ability to spring a surprise, but that would mean pushing a lot for the side’s top 4 slots. Over to RR to surprise us in IPL 2020 like 2008, maybe? Let’s wait and watch!
