Having finally got rid of the image of ‘perennial underdogs’, last year’s runners-up Rajasthan Royals will be riding high on confidence. At the same time, they will be under pressure to match last season’s performance.
STRENGTH: The squad has a good balance of experienced and promising players. They have some powerhouse foreign signings in Joe Root, Jason Holder and Adam Zampa.
WEAKNESS: Middle-order is slightly fragile. Shimron Hetmyer, although ideal for handling the back-end pressure, is inconsistent.
OPPORTUNITY: Youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag are coming into the tournament after a successful domestic season and will look to replicate that success on the big stage.
THREAT: Pace spearhead Trent Boult needs an ally, but with Prasidh Krishna out with back injury, can Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini or Sandeep Sharma fill the void at the other end?
KEY PLAYERS
Jos Buttler: The England captain will be expected to play a match-winning role more than once.
Sanju Samson: The Royals captain has been associated with the team since 2013 and is now considered their batting mainstay.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The leggie has added teeth to RR’s bowling department with his ability to turn things around.
NEW PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Joe Root: It will be interesting to see how the Test stalwart adapts to the IPL’s challenges.
Donovan Ferreira: The South African wicketkeeper-batter has no international experience but was hot property in the recent SA20 league.
Adam Zampa: His addition adds an extra dimension to the ChahalAshwin combination and gives the Royals more options in the spin department.
INJURY WATCH
Seamer Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out with a lower-back surgery. Medium pacer Sandeep Sharma has been named as replacement.
