Hyderabad: After finishing as runner-up in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, there was a dip in the performance of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as they finished in the fifth position in the points table last year. They concluded the season in fifth place with seven wins and as many defeats, bagging only 14 points by the end. The team will look to end their 16-year-long wait to lift the trophy after emerging triumphant in the inaugural edition played in 2008.
Last season, Yashasvi Jaiswal was in top form, while Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler also provided crucial contributions. Yashasvi amassed 625 runs with an average of 48.07. In the bowling department, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin picked 21 and 14 wickets respectively. The franchise achieved a mid-table finish thanks to the performances of these players, but they will be gunning to go for glory this edition.
Ahead of the season, RR added some batting firepower with the purchase of West Indian batter Rovman Powell who was bought at INR 7.4 Crores by the team. With the stage well set and stakes pretty high, RR would be banking on their players to guide them towards the trophy and win the IPL 2024. Here is the SWOT analysis of the team, with the season set to commence within the next few days.
Strength
Batting is RR's biggest strength. There is a lot of firepower in the team with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell and Riyan Parag. The top-heavy batting order will have aid from Rovman Powell and Riyan Parag in the lower order.
The spin department is another area where the team have an excellent set of the players. The Indian duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin are on the best pairs in the tournament, and Adam Zampa will also assist them with his leg-spin. Top-order batting and spin department are two strong aspects of the side, RR would look forward to helping them win the league.
Weakness
With the departure of Jason Holder from the team, RR have limited options in all-rounders. Ashwin is the sole option they have who can play the role of an all-rounder, but the team lacks depth in the squad composition due to it. Also, they lack a finisher in the batting who will be reliable enough to finish the games.
Dhruv Jurel impressed last season while batting in the lower order, but he lacks the experience to play at the highest level of competitive cricket. In such a scenario, the responsibility to finish the innings might fall on the shoulders of Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell.
Opportunities
Dhruv Jurel has the biggest opportunity with the T20 World Cup coming soon to prove his hitting skills and earn a place in India’s white-ball setup. The youngster made his debut in Test cricket recently, and a limited-overs debut will be on his wish list for sure. Sanju Samson also has an opportunity to earn a recall in the national side with a stupendous performance in the tournament.
Also, Yuzvendra Chahal has been away from the Indian setup, and he will want to compel selectors to consider him for the selection with his performance.
Threats
RR will be playing the season without the presence of Prasidh Krishna and that will weaken the pace department to some extent. Especially, they might lack a pacer who bowls at a rapid pace and will hurry the batters. Thus, the teams might miss out on opportunities to take advantage of surfaces which assist the pace bowlers.
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