Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals will look to clinch their second IPL title this year.
Over the last few years, Rajasthan Royals have built a formidable core side under skipper Sanju Samson. The Indian Premier League (IPL) champions of the inaugural edition in 2008 have not won the tournament again ever since. As has often been the case recently, Rajasthan Royals will be one of the major contenders to clinch the IPL title this year. However, the Rahul Dravid-coached side have had to make a few tough decisions, including letting go of their star England player Jos Buttler.
The Royals retained Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jueel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer, while also onboarding players like Jofra Archer, Nitish Rana and Wanindu Hasaranga.
Here are four players whose form will be crucial for Rajasthan Royals heading into IPL 2025:
It would come as no surprise to many that skipper Sanju Samson’s name features in this list. Samson tends to kickstart every season in flying form, consistently scoring fifties or even hundreds. However, as the season progresses, Samson’s fortunes change with a string of poor scores and so does the fortunes of Rajasthan Royals. Consistency is one major aspect that RR lack and for them to be consistent, it is also important that Samson produces impactful knocks consistently.
England pacer Jofra Archer returns to the franchise he last represented in 2020. Since then, he has sustained multiple injuries and also underwent surgeries. Archer, though, is coming on the back of a decent campaign with England in the 2025 Champions Trophy in terms of his bowling.
ALSO READ:
He took seven wickets in the tournament where England crashed out in the group stage. The Royals will hope that Archer rediscovers his best form and have a season like the one in 2020, when he had taken 20 wickets from 14 matches.
You could say that the Royals’ batting lineup on paper looks a bit depleted because of Buttler’s absence, but with Shimron Hetmyer in the team, anything can happen. The West Indian may not have had a fruitful IPL 2024 (113 runs from 12 matches), but once he gets going in a game it will be difficult to stop him. His strike-rate of 163.77 last year is proof of his ability to impact matches.
Riyan Parag has often been crucial for the Rajasthan Royals in crunch match situations, and his role in IPL 2025 will be no different. Parag was once criticised by many for his underwhelming returns with the bat, but that is a thing of the past now. He enjoyed his best-ever IPL season last year, scoring 573 runs from 12 matches including four fifties. If there’s an X-factor in the current Rajasthan Royals setup, that’s Riyan Parag. Add in his bowling, and Riyan Parag will be crucial for RR to balance their XI too.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube
