Rajasthan Royals are an unique entity in the IPL.They have stood out from the rest in a number of ways - inaugural champions, absence of star players, a number of unknown players standing out - both young and old (Remember Pravin Tambe ? ), spending miserly and so on. They have carved out a name for themselves under the mentorship of Shane Warne first and now Rahul Dravid.
Shane Watson being appointed skipper did take me by surprise, given Australia's heir apparent Steve Smith is a vital part of the team. Smith seems to thrive under pressure and one wonders whether Watson should have been let easy being an all rounder in the team. James Faulkner is a key all rounder in the team and coming on the back of MoM performance in the World Cup final, his confidence is sky high. Rahane provides solid batting presence while the youthfulness of Samson and Karun Nair will provide the fireworks.Stuart Binny and Rajat Batia are the seaming all rounders who can provide cover for what is a weak bowling attack, to be frank. Pravin Tambe was a surprise package last year, but whether he can replicate the magic this time round remains to be seen. The 11 will be completed by Dhawal Kulkarni who is a decent fast bowler at best.
RR had a good start to IPL 7 ad it was too much tinkering which cost them a place in the semis. Avoid the same mistakes and the Royals can make it far.
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