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After winning the first edition of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals have failed to replicate the same form in the remaining thirteen editions of the tournaments. Having only reached into the playoffs thrice after 2008, RR will be hoping to change the fortunes of their franchise in the mega auction in January. In addition, with the tournament heading in a completely new direction with the inclusion of two new teams in the fifteenth edition, Royals will be keen to embark on a new journey in the cash-rich league.
In order to do the same, Rajasthan Royals must focus upon retaining the best possible players ahead of the mega auction as all teams will be looking to add valuable assets around their marquee retained players. Wondering which could be the probable 4 players Rajasthan Royals would look to retain? Then this article seems to be your one-stop destination.
4 probable players Rajasthan Royals could retain ahead of IPL 2022 start
- Jos Buttler
The first obvious retention for Rajasthan Royals should be England’s wicket-keeper batsman, Jos Buttler. The 31-year-old is a true cricketing chameleon as he can adapt to any situation. Not only can he be a hard-hitter from the start, but his abilities to counter-attack the opposition has already caused havoc in the shortest format.
Even in the T20 World Cup, where the top-rated batters have found it difficult to score fluently, Buttler seems to be the only batter who has been able to exploit the opposition throughout the innings. On top of that, his strike rate of 150 and an average of over 35 runs per innings in the cash-rich league makes him an obvious retention choice for RR.
Although this English all-rounder took no part in the fourteenth edition, yet his abilities have no counterargument. Jofra Archer has the ability to build pressure on the batsman by bowling economical spells in the powerplay, plus his variations in the death can hamper the flow of any hard-hitter. Not only that, Archer possesses strength in his arms as he can very well knock shots out of boundaries.
The 26-year-old pacer bowls at a pace of more than 140 kmph regularly and since making his debut in the 2018 edition, he has taken 46 wickets. With him being out of action, RR clearly lacked a key figure in their bowling department who can inspire the younger bowlers in pressure scenarios.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
The Indian southpaw who is going to turn 20 in December, rose to fame when he led the Indian national side to the Under-19 World Cup final. Yashasvi Jaiswal was only given 3 games to perform in the 2020 IPL edition, wherein he managed to score only 40 runs. However, after sitting the entire edition on the bench, Jaiswal eventually managed to blister upon the scene for RR when he took the aggressive intent in the second half of IPL 2021.
If Rajasthan Royals want to make use of all their 4 retentions, then Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to be an ideal experiment. Given that, the Indian southpaw still needs an abundance of composure at his disposal to face a world-class bowling attack, his batting abilities are surely something to look forward to.
- Sanju Samson
The current captain of the Rajasthan Royals has always dealt with the problem of being inconsistent, which is primarily the reason why this 26-year-old player has not found a place in the national side. However, dropping Steve Smith and focusing upon Sanju Samson was only a sign of trust and belief shown by RR towards the latter, which shall continue even in the fifteenth edition of IPL.
While he has a lot to learn upon how to lead a side under pressure, Samson’s batting potential needs no introduction. Having said that, his performance in the 2021 edition, makes Sanju Samson one of the most obvious retention choices for the inaugural champions.
