In 2008, Rajasthan Royals became the first team to win the IPL, but they have not won the trophy since. Their only other appearance in the final was in 2022, when they lost to Gujarat Titans.

Rajasthan had an excellent start to their IPL 2023 campaign, winning four of their first five matches. However, they won only three of the next nine, and had to remain content with a fifth-place finish. Their inefficient use of the Impact Player remained a concern.

However, the season marked the launch of Yashasvi Jaiswal as one of India’s brightest young talent, and brought Dhruv Jurel into the limelight. This time, they will be hurt by the injury of Prasidh Krishna, who has been ruled out of the 2024 edition with an injury.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2024

* new buys in the auction.

Batters

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell*, Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey*

Wicketkeepers

Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Tom Kohler-Cadmore*, Kunal Singh Rathore*

All-rounders

R Ashwin, Donovan Ferreira

Bowlers

Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Avesh Khan*, Nandre Burger*, Abid Mushtaq*, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna (ruled out)

RR schedule for IPL 2024

Schedule for only the first 21 matches of IPL 2024 have been announced so far.

Match 4: Rajasthan Royals v Lucknow Super Giants, Sunday, March 24, 3.30pm, Jaipur
Match 9: Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Capitals, Thursday, March 28, 7.30pm, Jaipur
Match 14: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals, Monday, April 1, 7.30pm, Mumbai
Match 19: Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunday, April 7, 3.30pm, Jaipur

All timings local

RR in IPL 2024: Team news and injury updates

For the fourth season in a row, Samson will lead the Royals, who have more or less retained the nucleus of their side. Prasidh’s injury is a major blow for the Royals, but they do have strong backups. Powell, captain of Barbados Royals and the West Indies, is an excellent addition, but Rajasthan may struggle to find an overseas slot for him.

The lack of all-rounders remains a concern, but Rajasthan can counter that if they use the Impact Player judiciously.

Rajasthan Royals probable XIs with Impact player options

At home

Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen.

Impact player options: Riyan Parag, Navdeep Saini.

The tail begins at eight. Parag is the only Rajasthan batter who can bowl, and he has gone for runs at the IPL of late. The lack of a quality all-rounder has plagued Rajasthan since the last mega auction. Their specialists made up for it in 2022, but it caught up with them in 2023.

Away:

Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Zampa, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Impact player options: Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini.

Rajasthan already have Ashwin and Chahal, but on spin-friendly surfaces, they have the option of Zampa as well.