Rajasthan Royals

The champions of the inaugural 2008 Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals have been one of the most consistent sides that has played in the league. However, here the consistency can be termed in a way where if they have dominated a season then they have played well throughout the year or if they haven’t played well, then the whole season becomes a disappointment for them. The Rajasthan Royals have crowned the inaugural season champions in 2008 led by none other than cricket's 'great' Shane Warne. Players like Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, who've been with RR from as far back as 2018, have already set their eyes on the future, hoping to gain more of a say in the tournament. It's proven difficult to cut it with the big boys of IPL after being spoiled with so much success in the recent past. The Rajasthan Royals are striving hard to live up to their reputation of being one of the most successful franchises in this league and back atop the IPL pedestal again.

RR (Rajasthan Royals) Team Owner

Rajasthan Royals has been a team that has been hardworking and belongs from the city of Jaipur, India. It was founded in 2008 and plays in the Indian Premier League. The franchise was bought by Manoj Badale who took the help of several investors and hence was able to get this team. Earlier, the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty along with her husband Raj Kundra had a small share in the team and hence they were the owners of the team. However, after getting indulged in the Spot Fixing scandal, both of them took away their names from the ownership. Now, Manoj Badale owns 65% of the team, and apart from him, other investors like Suresh Chellaram and Lachlan Murdoch also have some part in it.

RR (Rajasthan Royals) Brand Value

The fact that the team value of Rajasthan Royals dipped from Rs 271 crores to Rs 241 crores (a drop of 8.1%) in IPL 2020 remains a point of concern for both the franchisee and the stakeholders. But, this is not the only statistic that has raised the eyebrows of analysts and experts alike. For instance, the actual on-field performance in IPL run rate has been average so far, with RR being a bottom six side in the last two IPL seasons even at home ground, which is by no means a comfortable spot to be in.

Performance of RR (Rajasthan Royals) over the years

RR possesses one of the most successful auctions in the history of IPL; and at present, are nurturing young superstars. RR has also had a great track record for retention. They have been one of the most consistent franchises in the history of IPL with their base stable right through the years. Despite their relatively poor performance in the recent past, RR can be credited with bringing some great players to light. However, during all these years, there have been numerous matches where they have failed too.

Year	IPL (Indian Premier League) Performance
2008	Champions
2009	League Stage (6th)
2010	League Stage (7th)
2011	League Stage (6th)
2012	League Stage (7th)
2013	Playoffs (3rd)
2014	League Stage (5th)
2015	Playoffs (4th)
2016	Did not play
2017	Did not play
2018	Playoffs (4th)
2019	League Stage (7th)
2020	League Stage (8th)
2021	League Stage (7th)
2022	Runners-up

2008 IPL Season

The first season was the best season for Rajasthan Royals. They won the inaugural season and became the champions under the captaincy of Shane Warne. With players like Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, and others, it became easy for them to qualify and play up to their potential. Apart from it, Shane Warne led brilliantly and hence the team won the title in just the first season.

2009 IPL Season

The 2009 IPL season was a disappointing one for the defending champions as they failed to qualify for the Playoffs and hence were not able to defend their title. Furthermore, the injured players were also there and hence it broke the momentum of the team, and hence they were not able to perform well at the crucial stages of the league.

2010 IPL Season

The 2010 IPL Season was a repeat of the 2009 IPL season for the Rajasthan team as they again finished in the second half of the points table and hence it was a disappointing season for them. Furthermore, Shane Warne wasn’t able to give his best and even other team members failed to make it big for them hence they failed to make it to the playoffs. This loss impacted the team a lot as they were expecting to bounce back after getting eliminated early in 2009.

2011 IPL Season

The 2011 IPL Season began with some problems for the team and it was related to some ownership problem which was later solved by the courts. Furthermore, even in the league, Rajasthan Royals played poorly and hence their fans were disappointed because the players were not performing well after the 2008 title win. Apart from Shane Warne, no other player was performing and hence Rajasthan Royals finished at the sixth position in the points table and hence were looking for a better performance in the upcoming season.

2012 IPL Season

In the 2012 IPL Season, Rajasthan Royals got a new captain as Rahul Dravid took over the reins from Shane Warne. However, the fate of the team was the same as earlier this time also, the team finished in the seventh position, and hence the fans were demanding something new for the next season. Moreover, apart from some young players, others hardly performed and hence it became a problem for everyone present on the team.

2013 IPL Season

The 2013 Season came as a saviour for the Rajasthan Royals as after five seasons, the team managed to make it to the playoffs and hence got the chance to grab the trophy again. However, the team played well but they lost the plot in Qualifier 2 where they were defeated heavily and hence were knocked out of the tournament. Though performances from Shane Watson and others made sure that Rajasthan is ready for the upcoming challenges.

2014 IPL Season

At the start of the 2014 IPL Season, the owners of the Rajasthan Royals gave the captaincy to a new candidate, Shane Watson who was the only player who had performed for the team since the IPL started. Under Shane Watson, many young stars came into the limelight as players like Steven Smith, James Faulkner, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, and many more who took the responsibility of the team on their shoulders and hence gave the team a new look.

2015 IPL Season

Even after appointing Shane Watson as the captain, Rajasthan Royals failed to qualify for the Playoffs in 2014. But they came back in 2015 and made it to the playoffs with the help of some fine knocks from Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, and others. Moreover, they were well supported with their bowling as James Faulkner and other bowlers took the team to playoffs.

2016 and 2017 Seasons

After the 2015 IPL Season, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were banned from playing in the IPL for two years because their owners were getting indulged in betting, and hence the court decided not to include these two teams till the 2017 IPL. However, the players of both teams went into the draft and auction which resulted in the mixing of the players, and hence the other teams were able to choose the players.

2018 IPL Season

In the IPL 2018, Rajasthan Royals returned with a bang as they made it to the playoffs and finished in the fourth position. Ajinkya Rahane took on the captaincy as Steven Smith was banned from playing IPL because of his involvement in the Ball-Tampering Scandal. Rahane led the team well and Jos Buttler was the man who took the team’s responsibility and gave them amazing starts while opening the batting.

2019 IPL Season

In the 2019 IPL Season, Rajasthan Royals barely performed well and hence they finished 7th on the points table. Moreover, the owners of the team changed the captain in mid-IPL as Ajinkya Rahane’s lack of form forced them to give the team Steven Smith who is a proven leader. However, when Smith got the captaincy, it was too late for him to correct the things as the team was already on the verge of getting eliminated from the tournament that season.

2020 IPL Season

For the IPL 2020 Season, Steven Smith was handed over the captaincy and hence the owners were looking forward to seeing something special for them. But throughout the tournament, only a few players like Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Ben Stokes performed which ensured that the team still remained in the second half of the points table. Thus another season ended with heartbreak for the team from Rajasthan.

2021 IPL Season

For the 2021 IPL Season, Rajasthan Royals appointed a new and young captain because of the form of Steven Smith and hence he was released from the team. Sanju Samson took over the reins from him but was hardly able to do anything as the team again finished in the seventh position on the points table. Even Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and many other players weren’t able to do something special and hence the team was again left disappointed because of the way they played.

2022 IPL Season

The latest IPL Season was the second-best season for the Rajasthan Royals after 2008 as they reached the Finals of the tournament but miserably failed to perform well in the Finals. The team had some of the best players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, R Ashwin, and many more which changed the fortunes of the team and hence took them to the Finals.

Stats of Rajasthan Royals Players

Rajasthan Royals has been a team that has produced some of the best players that have been playing today, Legends like Rahul Dravid, Shane Warne, Yusuf Pathan, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Jos Buttler, and many more have played for the franchise. Even the bowlers like James Faulkner, Chirs Morris, Jofra Archer, and many others have played for them which makes this an amazing team for every player.

Top Run Scorers for Rajasthan Royals

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Runs Scored	Average	Strike Rate
Ajinkya Rahane	106	3098	35.60	122.30
Sanju Samson	116	3041	30.10	137.16
Shane Watson	84	2474	35.85	140.16
Jos Buttler	58	2304	46.08	150.58
Rahul Dravid	52	1324	27.02	108.88

Top Wicket Takers for Rajasthan Royals

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Wickets Taken	Average	Economy
SK Trivedi	76	65	29.29	7.59
Shane Watson	78	61	27.88	7.49
Shane Warne	55	57	25.38	7.27
James Faulkner	42	47	27.06	8.41
Jofra Archer	35	46	21.32	7.13

For a team like Rajasthan Royals, making it to the Playoffs in the upcoming year will be an important task as they have got a good squad and hence it will be crucial to see their performance. Moreover, with a new captain like Sanju Samson, he will be having a big responsibility as he is the future of the team and his place in the International team will depend mostly on his IPL performances.