Rajasthan Royals

Ahead of the new IPL season, here is everything you need to know about the Rajasthan Royals team.

Latest Rajasthan Royals News

Standout Rajasthan Royals Players

Best bowler – Yuzvendra Chahal

In last season’s competition, the Royals were able to boast the competition’s best bowler in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal took 27 wickets across 17 matches, which included one five wicket haul and a match where he claimed four wickets.

Chahal is India’s highest wicket taker when it comes to T20 Internationals and is a master when the ball is in his hands. A consistent performer, Chahal is the fourth most successful bowler in IPL history, having taken a total of 157 wickets across 131 matches. Last season was his first with the Royals, and he will be hoping that he can replicate the success of last year once again. 

Best batsman – Jos Buttler

A huge reason behind Rajasthan’s success last season was the form of Jos Buttler. Buttler is arguably the game’s premier batsman, and when in full flow, there is no other player as devastating as the England T20 captain. 

Buttler was simply astonishing last season, scoring 863 runs across 17 matches. A convincing winner of the prestigious Orange Cap, he managed to score four centuries and finished 250 runs ahead of his nearest rival. His highest score of the tournament was 116, and he finished with an average of 58.

Buttler will head into this season’s IPL in a buoyant mood after he guided England to the T20 World Cup, where he played a starring role in the tournament. There is arguably no better sight to see then when Buttler is in full flow, and Rajasthan will dearly hope he can continue where he left off last season.

Best player – Jos Buttler

Wherever you look, the Rajasthan Royals players are full of star power. 

On the batting side of things, a lot of pressure will fall upon Buttler. However, if Buttler were to fail, he will be ably supported by captain Sanju Samson, who finished as the tournament’s tenth highest run scorer last season. Shimron Hetmyer and Devdutt Padikkal will both expect to contribute to the team’s success this season and can be explosive hitters in the middle of the order. The Royals have also added the experience of Joe Root, who will be on hand to lend additional class and should be able to keep the score ticking over once the powerplay has come to an end.

With the ball, the Royals are simply loaded with experience and quality. Leading the seam attack will be Trent Boult, and he will be supported by the spin wizardry of both Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin. Jason Holder is a new addition to the team this year, and the West Indian will be expected to chip in with some vital wickets.

Owner – Manoj Badale / Emerging Media

The Rajasthan Royals were one of the eight founding franchises of the IPL. The Rajasthan Royals owner is Manoj Badale, who is the CEO of Emerging Media. The team also has several other minority investors, which include Lachlan Murdoch and Red Bird Media, with each of these owners owning a 15% stake in the team.

Win-loss record and IPL titles

Win-loss (since 2008) – 187/94/93 

Total IPL titles – 1

As mentioned at the top of this article, the Rajasthan Royals were the inaugural winners of the IPL but haven’t tasted success since the opening season in 2008. The Royals have taken their fans on a rollercoaster ride since they first debuted in 2008. 

Overall, the Royals have reached the Playoff stage of the tournament on only five occasions. Besides winning the tournament back in 2008, the team finished third back in 2013 before finishing as the runners up last year.

The Royals were banned from the tournament between 2016 and 2017 for their role in irregular betting activities back in 2013. 

Highest score – 226/6 vs. Punjab Kings (2020)

The team’s highest score came back in 2020 when the Royals were able to score 226 runs in a win over the Punjab Kings. Current captain Sanju Samson played an instrumental role that day, top scoring with 85 runs off just 42 balls. That victory came in Sharjah when the tournament was moved to the Middle East following the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Royals highest score on Indian soil came back in 2010 when they lost to the Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs. Chasing a total of 246, the Royals could only score 223.