Rajasthan Royals: Stats, RR Team 2020 & History

0
2993
Rajasthan Royals logo

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
AmbassadorShane Warne
Rajasthan Royals JerseyPredominantly 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

PositionName
Team Director Zubin Bharucha
Team And Cricket Operations ManagerNA
Head CoachAndrew McDonald
Batting CoachAmol Muzumdar
Bowling CoachSairaj Bahutule
Fielding CoachNA
Bowling Talent Development and AnalyticsNA
Strength and Conditioning CoachNA
PhysiotherapistNA

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.

The suspension of the Team from IPL and comeback

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 –

YearCaptainResult
2019Ajinkya Rahane7th
2018Ajinkya Rahane4th
2017Suspended
2016Suspended
2015Shane Watson4th
2014Shane Watson5th
2013Rahul Dravid3rd
2012Rahul Dravid7th
2011Shane Warne6th
2010Shane Warne7th
2009Shane Warne6th
2008Shane Warne1st

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’.

RR Team Identity

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.

RR Home Ground

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.

PlatformFollowersLink
RR Instagram879K https://www.instagram.com/rajasthanroyals/
RR Twitter1.1M https://twitter.com/rajasthanroyals
RR Facebook4.1M https://www.facebook.com/RajasthanRoyals/
RR YouTube121K 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 AverageAdam Voges : 45.25
Best Strike Rate Jos Butler : 150.81
Most SixesSanju Samson : 89
Highest ScoreBen Stokes : 103*

RR All-time Bowling Stats

Most Wickets Dhawal Kulkarni – 86
Best EconomyShane Warne – 7.27
Best Bowling FiguresSohail Tanvir – 4-14-6
Best AverageShreyas Gopal – 19.39
Most 4 WicketsSohail Tanvir – 1

Rajasthan Royals team 2020

Here is the list of players that were bought and retained by Rajasthan Royals during 2020 IPL Auction.

Rajasthan Royals team 2020 auction
PlayerRetained/bought/tradedPrice (Rs cr)Previous team
Akash Singh (uncapped)Bought0.2MI
Andrew TyeBought1SRH
Anirudha Joshi (uncapped)Bought0.2RR
Ankit RajpootTraded in3SRH
Anuj Rawat (uncapped)Bought0.8KXIP
Ben StokesRetained12.5CSK
David MillerBought0.75DC
Jaydev UnadkatBought3SRH
Jofra ArcherRetained7.2KXIP
Jos ButtlerRetained4.4CSK
Kartik Tyagi (uncapped)Bought1.3RCB
Mahipal LomrorRetained0.2SRH
Manan VohraRetained0.2KKR
Mayank MarkandeTraded in2CSK
Oshane ThomasBought0.5RR
Rahul TewatiaTraded in3DC
Riyan ParagRetained0.2RR
Robin UthappaBought3KKR
Sanju SamsonRetained8RR
Shashank SinghRetained0.3RR
Shreyas GopalRetained0.2RR
Steve SmithRetained12.5RR
Tom CurranBought1KKR
Varun AaronRetained2.4RR
Yashasvi Jaiswal (uncapped)Bought2.4None

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.  

Rajasthan Royals batting

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 –

PLAYERROLE
Kartik TyagiAll-rounder
Tom CurranAll-rounder
Shashank SinghAll-rounder
Akash SinghBowler
Ben StokesAll-rounder
Yashasvi JaiswalBatsman
Ankit RajpootBowler
Anuj RawatWicket Keeper
Shreyas GopalAll-rounder
Varun AaronBowler
Jaydev UnadkatBowler
Rahul TewatiaAll-rounder
Andrew TyeBowler
David MillerMiddle Order Batsman
Robin UthappaBatsman
Steve SmithBatsman
Mayank MarkandeBowler
Aniruddha JoshiAll-rounder
Sanju SamsonWicket Keeper
Mahipal LomrorBowler
Jos ButtlerWicket Keeper
Manan VohraBatsman
Riyan ParagBatsman
Oshane ThomasBowler
Jofra ArcherBowler

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.

Rajasthan Royals bowling

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!                      

Previous articleMumbai Indians – Stats, Mumbai Indians team 2020 & History
Next articleCoronavirus Pandemic leaves the Cricketing world in chaos