Rajasthan Royals, the blue brigade is all set to begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Monday (April 9) when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Jaipur-based outfit is returning back to the IPL fold, for the first time since 2015.
The buzz and anticipation surrounding the team have been great. However, the loss of Steve Smith had handicapped the side to an extent going into the season.
Ajinkya Rahane and Co. will once again start as the dark horses in IPL 2018. They will start their journey in Hyderabad and would ideally look to win the trophy at the end of the season.
Here we look at how Rajasthan Royals could be lineup against SRH for their season opener:
Ajinkya Rahane:
The skipper of Rajasthan Royals, Ajinkya Rahane, will have a huge role both as a captain and as an opener. He will need to be the anchor in batting, while his captaincy could turn out to be a big difference.
Rahul Tripathi:
He was one of the best youngsters in IPL last season. Rahul Tripathi would once again look to set the league ablaze with his power hitting.
D’Arcy Short:
D’Arcy Short will be one to watch this season. The southpaw had been a sensation in the Big Bash League during Australian summer. Hope to see similar heroics in IPL as well.
Sanju Samson:
The return of Sanju Samson to Rajasthan Royals, is one of the best signings by the franchise. He will have a huge role to play in the middle order.
Ben Stokes:
Arguably the best player in IPL last season, Ben Stokes is going to be a very important player in this RR side. He will surely be key once again.
Jos Buttler:
The hard-hitting sensation Jos Buttler will be playing the role of a finisher in the slog overs for Rajasthan Royals. He will need to do it against top class SRH bowling on Monday.
K Gowtham:
The young off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham had managed a huge bid for his services to Rajasthan Royals.
He will definitely be given the role to play against Sunrisers.
Shreyas Gopal
Shreyas Gopal, the all-rounder will have an important role to play in the side. However, he might get into the starting lineup for the first game in Hyderabad.
Jofra Archer
Another big match winner, Archer proved himself in BBL last season. He will need to live up to the expectations which could prove very crucial for RR’s title chances.
Dhawal Kulkarni
The experienced pace bowler, Dhawal Kulkarni will once again be back at Rajasthan Royals after two years. He will need to get his experience come into account once again.
Jaydev Unadkat
IPL 2017 has been a sensational year for Jaydev Unadkat. He made his way into Indian team and had drawn a massive bid for this season.
In addition, he will be the spearhead for RR bowling lineup, this year.
Here’s the newsfeed:
IPL 2018: We Have a Great Batting Unit, Guys are Hungry – Chris Gayle
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