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BALANCED SIDE AND FLYING START GIVES HOPE FOR ROYALS TO EMULATE WARNE TRIUMPH IN IPL!!

For Rajasthan royals, IPL 2022 has a special significance – it comes barely a month after the stunning death of Shane Warne, the Aussie legend who led them to victory in the 1st IPL in 2008.

However, after being the inaugural champions, the Royals have never made it to the finals of the tournament again and have finished among the bottom three in most seasons.

But now, with a fresh look and a balanced side, most fans and experts hope that things will change this year as the mix of young and old players in the squad looks not just promising but are being tipped as the Dark Horses of the current season.

With a lot of fresh ammunition in their arsenal, the Royals look impressive on both fronts - bowling and batting.

Rajasthan had a huge purse at their disposal going into the IPL auction. Everyone expected them to spend it on big names but the team selection was done with a great deal of prudence and planning to make it a cohesive unit in all departments.

The core of the team revolves around new skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler who were both retained by the franchise due to their fabulous batting and wicketkeeping abilities.

Rest of the team is equally impressive with Ravi Ashwin, Yuzi Chahal and Trent Boult leading the bowling attack. In their opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Royals displayed their skills to the hilt and demolished the Kane Williamson-led side by 61 runs.

In the process they pumped their net run rate which might become important in the latter part of the tournament. Sanju Samson scored 55 off just 27 balls, proving why he is always the name discussed in selection meetings for the national T20 team.

Devdutt Padikkal, one of the new entrants who has enjoyed two superb seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore, batted in the middle order instead of his usual opening spot scoring 41 along with power hitter Shimron Hetmyer.

They took Rajasthan past the 200 mark and gave a stiff challenge to Hyderabad. Given their rich experience, the Ashwin-Chahal duo kept the opposition in check in the crucial middle overs.

The 8 overs between them cost only 43 runs and Chahal got 3 crucial wickets as well. Moreover, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult took 2 wickets each, going less than 6 runs an over.

Prasidh is the most expensive buy at 10 crores for Royals and proved his worth early when he got rid of Kane Williamson.

In addition, they also have the option of playing Nathan Coulter-Nile and Navdeep Saini to sharpen their bowling armoury.

Significantly, the Royals have also roped in Sri Lankan legend and death bowling expertLasith Malinga as their fastbowling coach who could play a key role in bringing some control in the death overs.

While Royals have got off to a flying start with a commanding win in their season opener, their next match against Mumbai presents a much tougher test.

If Royals can keep up their momentum and perform to their potential, they could spring a huge and most pleasant surprise this season.

Adding to Mumbai’s strength would be Indian middle order batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, who was out of the first match due to a wrist injury. Malinga has been with Mumbai Indians for a long period and would be able to build plans for Rajasthan bowlers to tackle the likes of Rohit Sharma , Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar.

A possible weakness for Rajasthan might be their bench strength which has many young upcoming bowlers but lacks any stop-gap batsman.

That is why it is crucial that the main batters play well along with keeping themselves fit for a long season ahead.

In the first match Rajasthan looked like a well-oiled machinery with everyone playing their roles to perfection.

The fielding standard of the team, barring a few exceptions like Ashwin and Chahal is top class and it seems they have the wherewithal to stand up to the rigours of IPL grind and take the title.

If the dangerous dark horses go on to reach the final and lift the trophy, the Royals could pay the perfect tribute to Shane Warne – the Wizard of leg spin who provided inspirational leadership to their only championship win till now!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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