Rajasthan Royals have had more than one bad season in the last couple of years. They started off their tournament showing a lot of promise fizzling out towards the business end of the season finishing mostly in the bottom half of the table. In the last 3 editions, the inaugural champions have ended 7th, 8th, and again 7th on the Indian Premier League points table.
Prior to the auction, the Jaipur-based franchise retained 3 players in Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rajasthan has a purse of 62 crores remaining with them and they will be looking to make their players core much stronger after facing a couple of problems last year because their middle order and death bowling didn’t fire at all cylinders.
Also read: 5 Players Royal Challengers Bangalore should target at IPL 2022 Auction
In this article, we will be looking at 5 players whom Rajasthan Royals should pick in the upcoming auction.
#1 Chris Jordan
Jordan has been one of England’s best death bowlers in recent times
Rajasthan Royals had a tough time bowling in the death to the other teams with their economy in IPL 2020 crossing 11 runs per over. They tried to fix it by purchasing Chris Morris for a record-breaking sum and Mustafizur Rehman but didn’t find much success.
One bowler who can help them sort this issue is another Chris but with a different surname. Chris Jordan has been a key member of the England T20 side and is currently one of the best death bowlers in the business. The 33-year-old can give two quality overs in the death and can also be a handy batsman if needed.
#2 Jason Holder
Jason Holder has been the one name that has been consistently racking impactful performances for his side and has somehow gone unnoticed. The 30-year-old from Barbados joined SRH as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh in IPL 2020 and did everything his side asked of him.
In the last two editions, the West Indies captain has scored 151 runs batting down at No. 7 or No. 8 and has picked 30 wickets making him a handy package. Rajasthan Royals will be looking to buy him and can make good use of the services he has to provide.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin can be a good addition to the Rajasthan Royals side
One of India’s premier spinners in the longer format of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin has shown the world that he can seamlessly reciprocate the same performances in the shorter formats of the game too.
Ashwin made his comeback in India blues in the recent limited over series vs New Zealand and South Africa and proved to everyone that he can still bamboozle opponents with the white Kookaburra. Ashwin can also be a member of the Rajasthan leadership group and could provide Sanju Samson with some handy advice when the situation gets tight.
#4 Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Already earmarked as a future star by some, Rajvardhan Hangargekar has a lot to offer to India in the years to come. The young lad from Maharashtra recently became a U-19 World Champion and contributed well for his side.
He can bowl with the new and the old ball and has the ability to hit the ball into the stands as well. Rajasthan Royals over the years have introduced many young and new faces to the world and Hangargekar can be someone who is well nurtured by the Jaipur-based franchise.
#5 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey is a very good middle-order batsman and can bat anywhere for his side
RR has issues in the middle order in the last couple of editions and the piece to solve this puzzle is Manish Pandey. The Karnataka skipper was sparingly used by Sunrisers Hyderabad over the last couple of seasons and the experienced batsman can prove to be a valuable batsman for any IPL team coming into the auction.
The right-hander can bat anywhere in the top 6 and can also help his side come out of a collapse. He is also a gun fielder, an experienced IPL campaigner, and he can also be a part of the leadership group chipping in with valuable inputs.