RR Playing XI for IPL 2024: Captain, wicket-keeper, overseas players, Impact Players and More

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) bought the least number of players at the recently-concluded IPL 2024 Auction on December 19, adding just five new names to their roster. The Sanju Samson-led outfit made the first purchase of the day when they went all out for West Indian T20I skipper Rovman Powell and bagged him for ₹7.4 crore. Their next big buy saw them break the bank for Vidarbha’s middle-order batter Shubham Dubey, shelling out ₹5.8 crore.

RR then secured three other players at base price – Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nandre Burger and Abid Mushtaq – ahead of IPL 2024. 

While the team made the final in 2022, they narrowly fell short of the playoffs earlier this year despite beginning with a bang. A glance at their squad tells you that they wear a strong look, although there are a couple of question marks which they haven’t necessarily answered.

Full RR Squad and Player List for IPL 2024

RR squad for IPL 2024: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger. 

Predicted RR Playing XI for IPL 2024

1. Jos Buttler
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Sanju Samson (c&wk)
4. Dhruv Jurel
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Riyan Parag
7. Rovman Powell
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Trent Boult
10. Avesh Khan
11. Prasidh Krishna
12. Yuzvendra Chahal (Impact player)

Wicket-keeper: Rajasthan Royals have a total of 4 wicketkeepers (Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Tom Kohler-Cadmore & Donovan Ferreira) in their roster for IPL 2024. Although Rajasthan has two solid wicketkeeping options for playing XI in Sanju Samson and England’s Jos Buttler, Samson is expected to be the primary choice for the role once again for the upcoming season.  

Overseas Players: RR have the thinnest squad amongst all the ten teams for IPL 2024 with just 22 players on their roster. Jos Buttler is irreplaceable at the top for Rajasthan Royals and is expected to retain his place. Royals have got his fellow countryman Kohler-Cadmore as a backup but it remains to be seen if RR would experiment with him. They also let go off Jason Holder ahead of the auction and brought in Rovman Powell but they don’t have any backup for all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. 

In the bowling front as well, the Royals don’t have many overseas options to choose from with Adam Zampa and Nandre Burger being the only two likely choices who can be rotated into the squad.

Impact Players: Yuzvendra Chahal/Shubham Dubey

How has the overall RR Playing XI shaped up for IPL 2024 season?

Hits:

• Rovman Powell, who leads Barbados Royals in the CPL, will add muscle to the middle order.
• Nandre Burger and Tom Kohler-Cadmore at their base prices are excellent back-ups for Trent Boult and Jos Buttler, respectively.
• Hetmyer in the middle is a massive boost as he has the ability to accelerate the run rate in middle overs. Hetmyer had scored 300 runs in IPL 2023 with strike rate of 152.28. He also played major role in IPL 2022 when RR reached to final.
• An extremely experienced spin bowling attack in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Adam Zampa. 
• A good blend of young talents with Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parang, and Shubham Dubey who all can emerge as star players for the team.

Misses: 

• RR parted ways with West Indies player Jason Holder before the 2024 auction and following this move, the team has only Ashwin as an all-rounder. They went all-out for Powell, who can at best chip in with an over of dibbly-dobbly medium-pace even as he bolsters the batting lineup.
• A player of Jaiswal’s caliber could do with a backup. While the Royals secured one for Buttler in the form of his countryman Tom Kohler-Cadmore, they couldn’t quite do so for Jaiswal.
• RR’s biggest concern will be their main players’ form. Jos Buttler hasn’t looked consistent with his bat since October 2023. The veteran hit three fifties against the West Indies recently but those innings don’t guarantee that he has regained his form.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2024 !#RajasthanRoyals pic.twitter.com/qGFqDq1VQT

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) December 19, 2023