Indian Premier League 2022: Rajasthan Royals Dream11 Fantasy CheatSheet for IPL 2022

A look at the team combinations, depth chart, recent form, and the fantasy potential of key players from the Rajasthan Royals camp ahead of IPL 2022.

Coach: Kumar Sangakkara
Captain: Sanju Samson
IPL 2021 Finish: Group Stage Exit (7th Place)

Rajasthan Royals (IPL 2022) – Team Composition & Combinations:

Rajasthan Royals had a fixed top order ahead of the auction with the retentions of Buttler, Jaiswal, and Samson. Devdutt Padikkal who used to open for RCB will slot in at No.3 for RR and Hetmyer will bat at No.5 with Parag following him at 6. The first choice bowling attack will comprise Boult, Ashwin, Chahal, and Prasidh Krishna all of whom they bought at high prices.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Strongest Rajasthan Royals Playing XI – Full Player List, Squad And Captain After Auction

Batting Depth or Bowling Quality?

The No.7 slot is a tricky one for RR to fill considering none of their batters except Parag(who is more of a part-time bowling option) can bowl and none of their bowlers except Ashwin(who is more suited to a batting role at the top of the order) can bat. Nathan Coulter-Nile is the front-runner for the position but his batting has fallen off in recent years and his bowling isn’t high quality to compromise on batting depth. The alternative option is to play Neesham whose batting and bowling both are pretty one-dimensional.

Can Prasidh Krishna live up to the hefty price tag?

Prasidh Krishna is a genuine quick bowler capable of clocking speeds upwards of 140kph consistently. He’s currently at best is suited to a middle-overs enforcer role and is mostly unbowlable in the other two phases as his IPL economy of 8.8 and 11 in the Powerplay and death suggests. His recent success with the new ball in the WI series came on helpful decks that the pitches at Mumbai are unlikely to offer. This makes us seriously question RR’s 10 crore bid on him. Anyway, the onus is on him to perform else RR might look to replace him with Saini or one of the many local pace options they possess.

Rajasthan Royals Fantasy Cheat Sheet for IPL 2022

STUD

Players who have proven themselves to be consistent top-scoring fantasy players and are popular.

Jos Buttler – Ever since he moved to the opening position in IPL, Jos Buttler has been unstoppable. He has piled up a total of 1441 runs in the IPL from 41 matches since 2018 and has a Dream11 batting points average of 49 since 2018 in the IPL which is the 7th highest overall.

BANKERS

The players who provide good value for their credits and can be banked upon for consistent returns.

Sanju Samson – Rajasthan Royals team management have made it clear that Samson will play at No.4 this season which is one spot lower than he used to bat last year. He would’ve certainly found himself in the Stud category if not for this positional change. No.4 is a volatile position and his game time will be affected given the presence of Buttler and Padikkal above him. He has a Dream11 batting points average of 41 since 2018 in the IPL. You can also download the Pin up App to wager on the game with Sanju Samson.

Note – He’ll be the primary wicket-keeper of the side which increases his fantasy potential.

Trent Boult – His stint with the Mumbai Indians in the past couple of seasons have been successful wherein he played the role of a support pacer to perfection. But here in RR, he’s expected to lead the pace attack, especially at the death. While the tracks at Mumbai might not aid his new-ball bowling as much as it did in UAE, his new role for RR as a primary death bowler should provide enough fantasy value. He averages 34 Dream11 bowling points per game since IPL 2018 and crosses the 50 point mark once every 2.7 games.

Yuzvendra Chahal – The wily leg-spinner has a wealth of experience bowling in the flat pitches at Bangalore which should help him in the venues at Mumbai this IPL. He has also showcased good form in the recent India fixtures and averages 34 Dream11 bowling points per game since IPL 2018.

Note – Avoid picking him when the opponent side has an overload of quality left-handed batters.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals (RR) top-order to do the heavy lifting once again?

RISKY PICKS

The players who carry an element of risk along with them which may be due to bad form, injury, lack of game time, etc……

Devdutt Padikkal – The ex-RCB opener will play at No.3 for RR this season which is a new role for him at this level. While he’s potentially a good player of spin, his game against pace is still a work in progress which the opponent teams should’ve noticed by now after two successful seasons with the bat. His Dream11 IPL batting point average of 41 is likely to drop this season considering his batting position change and his recent form.

Nathan Coulter-Nile – As discussed above, he’ll be fighting for the No.7 spot along with J Neesham. He would’ve been a perfect fit to the No.7 spot a couple of years ago but his batting form has been on a downhill for a while and his pace too has dropped due to injuries. While he averages 32 Dream11 bowling points in all T20s since 2018, he’s still a risky pick.

SLEEPERS

The players who provide decent enough value but is undervalued or is just not a well-known player.

Yashasvi Jaiswal – The young lad from Mumbai gave RR some quick starts in the Powerplay last season courtesy of his intent and attacking strokeplay. Teams might look to exploit his lack of scoring in the V against the pacers but he should do just fine. One issue from a fantasy perspective is that his ceiling isn’t as high as someone like a Buttler or a Samson which makes him an unreliable captaincy option. He has a Dream11 IPL batting points average of 31 but has never crossed the 100 point mark so far.

TRAP

The players who seem like good buys, but won’t score enough points to justify their credits or hype.

Shimron Hetmyer – At No.5 Hetmyer would face a lot of pace than spin, especially with the top-order that RR have. Despite his success as a pace-hitter last season with DC, his real value lies against spin and it should be seen whether he can emulate last year’s success with the bat at the death. His form with the bat is a question since he hasn’t played a high-level game since the World T20 and his fitness levels have come into question from time to time. He averaged only 27 Dream11 IPL batting points per game last season in what was his best season in the IPL.

Ravichandran Ashwin – Ashwin is truly a great finger-spinner but finger-spinners don’t guarantee wickets in a T20 game unless the deck assists them. With the matches this season restricted to true decks at Mumbai, he’s going to be less effective from a fantasy perspective. His Dream11 bowling points average of 22 since 2018 is also too low.

Note – Pick him when the opponent side has an overload of left-handed batters.

BOOM OR BUST

A player who could perform one of two ways in a season: really well or really poorly.

Prasidh Krishna – As discussed in the Team combinations section the weight of a 10 crore paycheck will be hanging over his head and it could either break him like it happened with Unadkat or it could make him into a better player. His Dream11 IPL points average of 26 ranks very low among all other players.

FLEX

The players whose credit values are less but still provide some decent value thereby helping to balance out the lineup.

Riyan Parag – He bats too low and bowls only occasionally to make any high impact as far as fantasy cricket is concerned. He has a Dream11 points average of 24 which is decent for a budget pick.

Rajasthan Royals (IPL 2022) – Opponent Fantasy Value:

Every team is vulnerable to a certain batting type or a bowler type depending on their setup. For example, a batting unit full of right-handers will be vulnerable against left-arm spinners and wristspinners or a bowling attack void of any quality new-ball bowlers will leak runs in the Powerplay and allow the openers to score freely. These vulnerabilities of the team allows certain player types from opponent sides to perform freely against them which can be used to pick those player types from the opponent side in your fantasy team. As far as Rajasthan Royals are concerned, you can pick the player types listed below from the opponent side if those player types are available.

• Death Bowlers
• Anchors who can smoke pace and are competent vs spin
• Pacehitters at the death