Rajasthan Royals Was the runner-up in IPL 2022. This was the first year since the inaugural edition in 2008 that Rajasthan managed to qualify for the finals of the Indian Premier League.
Age after age, it seemed as if they were able to perform up to their true potential as a team. The likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Ryan Parag, Yasaswi Jaiswal, and Prasidh Krishna have been a great core for the Royals. They will see it continue IPL 2023.
They have a very settled squad with almost all bases covered except for one or two holes that must be plugged. The IPL 2023 auction is scheduled for 23 December 2022, and the Royals management will be looking to take another step toward their second IPL title.
First look at who we are The Royals As can be noted, here is their current squad, the players they have left, and the remaining purse.
Current Squad of Rajasthan Royals:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutta Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c), Ryan Parag, Shimran Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Obed McCaw. , Kuldeep Yadav
Released Players List:
Anunay Singh, James Neesham, Karun Nair, Nathan CoulterNile, Corbin Bosch, Daryl Mitchell, Rasi van der Dusen, Shubham Garhwal, Tejas Baroka
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Possible Playing XI:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Jos Buttler*
- Devdutta Padikkal
- Sanju Samson (c)
- Ryan Parag
- Shimron Hetmyer*
- TBC
- R Ashwin
- Trent Boult*
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Prasidh Krishna
Remaining Purse Money and Slots:
- 13.20 core remaining in the purse
- 5 foreign slots to fill
Demand From The Auction:
- Rajasthan Royals have almost all bases covered except a good all-rounder at number 7, especially a pace-bowling all-rounder.
- Few backup options for their batters.
5 players Rajasthan Royals (RR) can target in the IPL 2023 Auction:
Jason Holder:
Rajasthan Royals need a pace-bowling all-rounder at number 6 or 7. Jason Holder is a no-brainer. I am quite sure they will pick Holder, especially as he plays for Rajasthan Royals’ sister franchise, Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League.
Jason Holder is an excellent all-rounder who is capable of winning games with both bat and ball. He provides quality with the new ball and has done well in the death overs as well. He took 14 wickets at an economy of 9.42 last season.
Oden Smith:
Oden Smith is another player the Royals could target in the upcoming auction. Smith is a brutal hitter with the bat and can bowl too in dominant overs with his pace bowling.
He was one of the most sought-after players in last year’s auction after consistent performances in the CPL and for the West Indies. His debut season in IPL was not very impressive as he played only six matches for Punjab Kings. He took six wickets but had an economy rate of 11.87. Apart from 25* off 8 balls on debut, he didn’t do much with the bat either.
But if used correctly he can be an excellent prospect for any side. Punjab Kings used him as a death bowler which is not an ideal role for him. Bowling Smith’s best two overs in the middle and being a hitter at number 7. However, Royals will then need a sixth bowling option, namely Ryan Parag, to fill in some overs if that is the case.
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Mayank Agarwal:
Mayank Agarwal was surprisingly released by Punjab Kings – the franchise he led – ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. Mayank can be a great backup Indian batsman for Rajasthan. If the likes of Yasswi Jaiswal or Devdutta Padikal get injured or fail to perform as expected, Mayank would be a good choice to replace them.
He has scored 2,326 runs at an average of 22.6 in the IPL, scoring 134.2 runs in 107 innings. Agarwal is a better player than the stats and will be determined to do well after his release.
Daniel Sams:
Daniel Sams played for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022. He did a good job, especially in the later stages of the tournament.
Sams swings the new ball and picks up the wicket in front. Last season he took 13 wickets, eight of which came in the first six overs, and could thus form a lethal partnership with Trent Boult in the powerplay. Also, he has a good slow delivery which can be very effective on slower tracks.
Also, Sams can move down the order and up the order when needed with the bat of a skilled hitter. Rajasthan moved Ashwin to No. 3 when early wickets fell and Sams could play that role as well. The left-arm Aussie pacer could be a good pick for Royals if they fail to pick up Jason Holder.
Fabian Allen:
Fabian Allen could be a great pick for Royals for IPL 2023. Allen is a utility player as he contributes with bat, ball and field as well. He is an aggressive batsman who can hit the ball later in the innings. He bowls left-arm orthodox which Rajasthan lack in their unit and is a gun fielder to go with it.
Allen didn’t get much chance to prove himself in IPL but he is definitely capable of performing well in the tournament.
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These are the five players I think Rajasthan can target in the upcoming auction. They have only 13.20 core in their purse, so do not get Sam curran, Ben Stokes, Cameron Green, like players. They have a permanent squad and as mentioned earlier, they need some backup for the batsmen as well as a good all-rounder at number seven or eight.
