Rajasthan Royals opted for stability over explosiveness for IPL 2025
Rajasthan Royals were one of the hot favourites for winning the IPL 2024 title as they kept on piling wins with excellent performances across all departments. However, the Sanju Samson-led outfit were stopped just one step before the final by a crafty Sunrisers Hyderabad as they lost Qualifier 2 by 36 runs.
Their bright performances were identified by the management as the franchise retained the majority of the core for IPL 2025. The Royals focused on keeping the batting spine intact as they retained Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer alongside key pacer Sandeep Sharma.
Besides the top-order they also got the services of Nitish Rana, who has been a consistent performer for Kolkata Knight Riders for seven seasons.
Here’s how the Royals’ Top 7 could look like in IPL 2025.
The skipper led with an example in the previous edition as his fluent knocks at the top of the order allowed for the likes of Hetmyer and Parag to go ballistic at the end. The keeper-batter amassed 531 runs at a superb average of 48.27 which included five fifties which constantly put his team in the race for the top spot in the table.
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Adding to his batting exploits, Samson displayed excellent strategic acumen with his field placements and bowling changes throughout the season. His form in the international circuit has been sensational as he smashed two T20I hundreds against South Africa recently.
The 23-year-old is in the form of his life as he was among the few bright spots in India’s 1-3 loss in the Border Gavaskar Trophy with 391 runs which included a match-winning 161 in the second innings of the first Test in Perth. Even though he wasn’t among the top performers for Royals last season, his tally of 435 runs from 15 innings were crucial for the team’s run into the play-offs. This time around, he comes with a burgeoning reputation and thus raised expectations.
Parag was the lynchpin of Royals’ batting in the last season as he was the scourge of bowlers with a total of 573 runs from 14 innings, only bettered by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli. The others in the team also scored bigger and quicker but the calming influence of Parag was key for their collective consistency.
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His performances also earned him an India call-up for Sri Lanka where he played the role of an allrounder in the team. The responsibility to anchor the innings will once again be on Parag this season.
They don’t make players like Nitish Rana anymore. One of the unsung heroes of KKR’s title win last year, Rana has stepped up for whatever role the team has asked him of. He can play anywhere across the batting order and has also captained KKR on a few occasions. Not retaining him for the upcoming season will be KKR’s loss and RR’s gain. Even though he is at his best in the top 4, Rana’s utility can also fill the role of a bonafide finisher for the Royals who are in desperate need of one.
One of the wicketkeeper-batters in India’s talent pool, Jhurel is a safe bet in the middle order for Royals who will surely benefit from his presence. He was excellent in the lower middle-order last year with 195 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 138. His capability to keep wickets can allow captain Samson to be much more active with his field placements and chats with the bowler.
Capable for changing the face of a match within a few deliveries, Shimron Hetmyer’s capability offers any T20 side to have him in their playing XI. Despite mostly playing in the lower order for six IPL seasons, the Guyanese batter has over 1,000 runs and a strike rate of 153.
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The lefthander’s explosive hitting helped Royals to achieve big totals last season and it is evident why he was on the retained players’ list. He is still busy playing for franchises all across the world and will be hoping to deliver in IPL 2025 soon.
The Sri Lankan is recognised for match-defining spells with his deadly legspin, but he is no slouch with the bat. The 27-year-old has 2,320 runs from 162 T20 innings and possesses a strike rate of 145 which makes him ideal for a No.7 spot. He is more valuable for his bowling this season, but he surely will be expected to light up the death overs with his batting as well.
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