Sunil, a nice-hearted charming young boy next door, has loved the beautiful Anna since childhood. Sunil is flawed but loved by all and has powerful friends. Despite his goofs, we keep rooting for him, and against all our wishes, the underdog doesn’t triumph.
We can draw parallels between the viewers of the Shahrukh Khan-starrer Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and a Rajasthan Royals (RR) supporter.
There is always an element of empathy at how one views Rajasthan Royals (RR). They have earned all of it because, since inception, they have been a franchise that has invested in Indian youth and nurtured them around colossal figures.
With many young talents from India around their director Kumar Sangakkara, mentor Shane Warne and three pillars of England cricket – Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer – the Royals must have aimed for the IPL 2021 trophy.
Halfway through, they find themselves at the fifth spot with three wins and four defeats from seven games. There is no Stokes, Buttler or Archer, or even Andrew Tye. The replacements – Evin Lewis, Tabraiz Shamsi, Glenn Phillips and Oshane Thomas – are sizeable names.
Stacked with big foreign names, the issue remains which four from the lot RR will choose to get the right balance?
RR squad: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Anuj Rawat (wk), Glenn Phillips (wk), Evin Lewis, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Oshane Thomas, Tabraiz Shamsi, Manan Vohra, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldip Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Chetan Sakariya, Riyan Parag, Mayank Markande, Akash Singh, KC Cariappa, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kartik Tyagi, Mahipal Lomror
SWOT Analysis of Rajasthan Royals (RR) for IPL 2021
Strengths
RR lit up Sharjah with their chase against Punjab Kings in the last edition – a match etched in IPL’s folklore. Their explosive batting unit remains their strength despite the loss of Buttler and Stokes. Samson, Lewis, Livingstone, Phillips, Miller, Morris, Parag, Tewatia, Dube and Vohra carry serious reputations as power-hitters.
They have a robust bowling attack with a good balance of pace and spin. There is enough experience in pace with Mustafizur, Morris and Unadkat, while Sakaria, Tyagi and Thomas are exciting young prospects. The spin attack is bolstered with the signing of the top-ranked T20I bowler, Shamsi. In Markande, Tewatia, Cariappa and Gopal, there are enough spinners to choose from.
Weakness
In recent times, the Royals have spent huge bucks on few players with little return. They shelled out a record INR 16.25 crore to sign Morris. Earlier, they spent huge amounts on Unadkat. The price tags go on to add performance pressure on the players.
The lack of IPL experience of several squad members may hurt them. There is over-reliance on foreign players. Of their two batting pillars, Samson’s consistency issue has now become a habit, while Livingstone has little experience in IPL.
RR are expected to play Unadkat, Sakariya and Mustafizur in their XI. All three are left-arm pacers, which means there’s little variety in terms of angle.
Opportunities
Written off due to the absence of the English trio, it will be a significant achievement for the Royals if they make it to the Playoffs. Livingstone was recently adjudged the Player of the Series in the Hundred. One of the best players in this format, he will look to build a reputation in the world’s biggest T20 league.
No one from the RR’s Indian contingent has made it to the national squad for the T20 World Cup. Samson had an excellent start to the season, but failures with the national team in Sri Lanka paved his exit. With a busy T20 schedule to follow, Samson, Tewatia, Jaiswal, Sakariya, Dube, Parag and Gopal will want to impress the national selectors.
Threats
A strong bench is a good sign, but RR have at least seven in-form foreign players in their squad who are good enough to start. Mustafizur has had a dream 2021, while Shamsi looks better with every passing day.
However, will not be easy to accommodate both, as Lewis, Livingstone and Morris are all expected to start. This leaves no room for the in-form Phillips and the experienced Miller. Despite the options, RR’s issue lies in getting the right balance.
While there are enough wrist-spin options, the absence of a dependable off-spinner may see them struggle against sides with big-hitting left-handers. Alongside Shamsi’s left-arm wrist-spin, they will have to rely on Livingstone’s part-time off-spinning role.
More than quality, form is another concern for their leg-spinners. Markande has not played enough cricket of late. Gopal has averaged over 50 with ball since IPL 2020, going at nine an over; and Tewatia averages 97.5 – again, with ball – this season, with an economy rate of almost 10 an over.
Rajasthan have had issues with fielding their best XI due to injuries and other issues. The loss of the English trio is a big blow. Even Livingstone withdrew in the first phase due to the bio-bubble fatigue. They will hope there is no such scenario this time.
RR’s likely starting XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman/Tabraiz Shamsi
RR remaining fixtures
- Tuesday, 21 September: RR vs PBKS (Dubai)
- Saturday, 25 September: RR vs DC (Abu Dhabi)
- Monday, 27 September: RR vs SRH (Dubai)
- Wednesday, 29 September: RR vs RCB (Dubai)
- Saturday, 2 October: RR vs CSK (Abu Dhabi)
- Tuesday, 5 October: RR vs MI (Sharjah)
- Thursday, 7 October: RR vs KKR (Sharjah)