Credit: IPL
Rajasthan Royals (RR) will strive to bring the coveted IPL trophy home after 17 years. Back in 2008, the Royals became the first champions of the league under Shane Warne’s captaincy after beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final played at Navi Mumbai. This year, Sanju Samson will look to lead the side from the front and quench his team’s thirst of winning the title. At the IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah in November 2024, they added quality players such as Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranaga and Tushar Deshpande to add strength to their squad. Noting their 20-member squad, let’s talk about strongest XI of Rajasthan.
Strongest XI of RR ahead of IPL 2025
Openers: Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal
After Jos Buttler’s departure, captain Sanju Samson is expected to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal looked confident with his bat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and he will look to continue his form in the upcoming T20 extravaganza.
Middle-order batters: Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Shimron Hetmyer
Nitish Rana might be seen fortifying the team while batting at number three. Following him, Riyan Parag will have to be at his best in the middle order. Dhruv Jurel didn’t perform upto the expectations against England in the T20I series, played in January-February but RR management will want him to be in rhythm for them. Shimron Hetmyer has to don the role of an efficient match-finisher for RR this season again.
All-rounder: Yudhvir Singh
Yudhvir Singh will have to assist the Royals with both bat and ball. Noting his decent batting capability, the RR team management might hand him the task to bat at number seven.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sandeep Sharma, and Maheesh Theekshana
Jofra Archer will spearhead RR’s pace attack while Wanindu Hasaranaga will lead the side’s spin-bowling unit. Sandeep Sharma has done an excellent job for RR since 2023 and he will have to showcase his best again to bolster RR’s fast-bowling unit. Donning RR’s jersey for the first time, Maheesh Theekshana will also look to do wonders with the ball.
Impact Players: Tushar Despande in, Dhruv Jurel out
RR might avail Tushar Deshpande’s services as an impact player. The pacer’s wicket-taking potential is phenomenal but RR will expect him to contain the flow of runs. In the last couple of seasons for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Deshpande took wickets at regular intervals but couldn’t deliver economical spells to the Yellow Army.
