OPINION
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Possible Starting XI
What works for RR?
• Rajasthan have three dynamic batters in their top five - Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer. Since 2020, Buttler and Samson have elite numbers against both spin and pace. Their strike-rate of over 135 against both spin and pace stands out. Hetmyer’s strike-rate of 108.3 against spin during this time period is a reflection of poor pitches at the CPL and doesn’t justify his power game against the tweakers.
• The inclusion of the youngsters in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal provide them three left-handers in their top five.
• Rajasthan were the most unproductive spin bowling side in the last two years of IPL. They have put their best step forward to overcome that with the signing of R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. No other side has two Indian spinners with such vast international experience. The fact that one is a wrist spinner while the other is a master of finger spin shines their spin attack further.
• Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna instill the wicket-taking potential. Boult is one of the best swing bowlers in world cricket while Krishna has both pace and bounce to trouble the batters on his day.
Where RR might struggle?
• Rajasthan lack in one of the most vital aspects of a T20 side, ie, the all-rounders. On paper, they have four options. However, none of them are convincing enough to be the leading all-rounder in an IPL franchise.
In overall T20s since 2020, James Neesham has a batting average of 19.1 against 27.7 runs per wicket with the ball. Nathan Coulter-Nile is an injury prone fast bowler. Daryl Mitchell is a batting all-rounder who has bowled less than two overs per innings since 2020. Also, 48 off his 61 overs in this time span are bowled only in domestic T20s in New Zealand. The fact that Rajasthan will need one of them to be their fifth bowler is a sign of poor team building. Riyan Parag, listed as a spin bowling all-rounder is still finding his feet as a T20 bowler.
• Another important T20 role they are missing is that of a death bowler. Prasidh Krishna is yet to prove his worth in T20 cricket. His overall economy-rate stands at 8.7 runs per over. Trent Boult’s last stint as the leader of the pack at the death (with Delhi in 2018) was a dismal experience. Currently, only Coulter-Nile emerges as an all phase bowler but the injury concerns consistently hover around him.
Meanwhile, Obed McCoy is a certified death bowler with effective cutters and yorkers but there is no spot for him. Another example of fragile team building?
• Batting depth might continue to haunt them. In fact, it falls off the cliff post Hetmyer at five. Parag has batted at six for most part of his brief IPL career but averages only 16.5 at that spot.
Hence, they might need Neesham to extend the batting to the bare minimum at seven. But then they will also require Coulter-Nile as a better fifth bowling option. How Rajasthan choose their number seven will be interesting to see. They have to decide between a few average options for an important role.
• Padikkal at number three is a dicey project. He struggled to find boundaries during the middle-overs last year. His overall strike-rate during that phase is 119.4. There are no indications he will be a fruitful number three but its a risk for which Rajasthan have paid INR 7.75 crore.
