Rajasthan Royals Team in Indian Premier League 2018: List of RR Players for VIVO IPL 11

Known to be conservative buyers at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions, Rajasthan Royals’ went all guns blazing in this year’s auction. Unlike, previous editions of the IPL, they bought two of the costliest players this year. Benjamin Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat were acquired for record bids this year. The Rajasthan franchise was the inaugural champions of the cash-rich cricket league, winning the title in 2008, defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, after their initial hurrah, the franchise has failed to even qualify for the finals of the IPL.

Along with CSK, the team would be returning to the IPL fold after a two-year ban, ordered by the Supreme Court. Also, returning to the IPL fold will be Shane Warne, in a completely new role. The franchise won the inaugural IPL title – when everyone had written them off – under the captaincy of Shane Warne. This year, Warne has been roped in as the Mentor of the franchise.

Rajasthan Royals has been a team who has unearthed a lot of talents over the years. Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Kamran Khan to name a few; have all garnered attention after their stupendous season at the Rajasthan franchise. Under the mentorship of Australian legend Shane Warne, it will be interesting to see if the team produces yet another breakthrough player this season too?

The franchise only retained their skipper Steve Smith this season. Under Smith’s captaincy, RR would be looking forward to replicating their first season’s success this year too. However, it seems that their bowling department will be their Achilles Heel this year. With no Indian or International regular in their bowling ranks, Royals’ would be relying heavily on Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Stuart Binny.

The team’s batting contingent looks strong with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Darcy Short, and Jofra Archer – all capable of turning the tables on their opponents on their given day. Known to give chances to young, unknown or uncapped players, it will be delighting to see which player steps-up in the time of contingency.

Rajasthan Royals play their home matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The RR franchise has been involved in an intense rivalry with Mumbai Indians over the years. The Rajasthan franchise, co-owned by Manoj Badale and Shilpa Shetty, will be hoping to win the IPL trophy this year, after a gap of 10 long years.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS FULL SQUAD FOR IPL 2018 [23 players]

Steve Smith (Captain), Benjamin Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jos Buttler, Ajinkya Rahane, Darcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny, Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit Sharma, and Mahipal Lomror.

Support Staff:

Head of Cricket: Zubin Bharucha

Team Mentor: Shane Warne

With the entire hullabaloo around the IPL Auction 2018 is done and over with, it is all about how the players perform on the field. Returning after a gap of two-years the team management has tried to add a nostalgic feel to its team in the form of returning Shane Warne.

The 11th VIVO IPL is slated to being on April 7, and it will be captivating to see the ‘Halla Bol’ brigade’s campaign this year. Will Rajasthan Royals be able to repeat history after a decade? Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates about 11th VIVO Indian Premier League and Rajasthan Royals.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 19, 2018 10:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).