The second half of the Indian Premier League is expected to begin from September 19: here’s a look at the Rajasthan Royals (RR), as the franchise looks to better their 2020 showing where they finished last in the points table.

RR finished bottom of the 2020 competition but remained in the hunt for a play-off spot until the dying stages of the group phase. In the end, despite finishing last, they came just two points behind Sunrisers Hyderabad in third place. In 2021, despite a change in captaincy, RR were unable to reverse their fortunes and ended the India-leg of the edition with three wins from seven games.

IPL 2021 RR team preview

Sanju Samson had been entrusted with the captaincy after Steve Smith’s release from the franchise prior to this year’s mini-auction. RR attracted headlines from the auction after signing South African quick Chris Morris for an all-time record IPL fee. However, injuries and pull-outs have affected the team ahead of the UAE leg, and the side will now be without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler. Glenn Phillips, Tabraiz Shamsi and Oshane Thomas along with Evin Lewis have been named as replacements.

 

Rajasthan Royals coaching staff

Head coach: Andrew McDonald
Director of cricket: Kumar Sangakkara
Lead assistant coach: Trevor Penney
Batting coaches: Amol Muzumdar, Sid Lahiri
Fast bowling coach: Rob Cassell
Fast bowling development coach: Steffan Jones
Spin bowling coach: Sairaj Bahutule
Spin bowling consultant: Ish Sodhi

Rajasthan Royals IPL 2021 Fixture

21/09 – Dubai – Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30pm
25/09 – Abu Dhabi – Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, 3.30pm
27/09 – Dubai – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30pm
29/09 – Dubai – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 7.30pm
02/10 – Abu Dhabi – Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 7.30pm
05/10 – Sharjah – Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 7.30pm
07/10 — Sharjah — Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 7.30pm

Rajasthan Royals squad

Sanju Samson (c), David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Dube, Evin Lewis, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Undadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Oshane Thomas, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tewatia, Anju Rawat, Shreyas Gopal, KC Cariappa, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldip Yadav, Glenn Phillips

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