2008 and inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) are still searching for their second title after winning under Shane Warne way way back. They have come close once in 2022 in the finals losing to Gujarat Titans, have reached the playoffs multiple times, but have not gone the distance. What will worry RR fans is their inconsistency in the last few years. They either reach the playoffs or do badly. Last season they finished 9th ahead of CSK on NRR. But they lost a lot of close games.
Riyan Parag is the new appointed captain with Sanju Samson going to CSK. Ravindra Jadeja is back for RR to his original club while Sam Curran who was supposed to be here has been ruled out due to groin injury. They have a decent squad of youth and experience in their ranks. Here, we will discuss their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the inaugural champions.
Strengths
- Explosive Indian batting core: Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag, forms a strong Indian backbone. This in turn, reduces overdependence on overseas stars and this could be a crucial factor for IPL success.
- High Quality All-rounders Provides balance: Presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag adds depth in both the departments. It also offers flexibility for RR in team combinations and match situations.
- Power Hitting Firepower: RR arguably have one of the most aggressive batting line-ups. They have Shimron Hetmyer as their designated finisher. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is their explosive youngster while Yashasvi Jaiswal is their impact opener. Power-hitting is considered their biggest strength.
- Improved Squad Depth: The additions like Ravi Bishnoi strengthen the spin bowling options. The bowling unit of RR with Jofra Archer and support seamers gives variety.
WeaknessesÂ
- Lack of experience and leadership uncertainty: New captain Riyan Parag is still unproven as a leader. The squad looks inexperienced to the eyes especially in pressure situations.
- Middle order inconsistency: A major issue from IPL 2025 continues for RR which is unclear batting roles for Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, and Ravindra Jadeja as all are floating at this stage. This lack of role clarity can hurt the match finishing.
- Lower order concerns at 7 & 8: Lack of a reliable batter deep in the order has been highlighted as a key issue for the RR team.
- Over-reliance on youth: Core players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag are young. They have high ceiling, but are inconsistent under pressure which will be a huge risk for the RR.
OpportunitiesÂ
- New era post Samson: With Sanju Samson gone now, RR can redefine identity under Riyan Parag. The fresh leadership could unlock new tactical approaches for the team.
- Breakout season for youngsters: Players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel can become match-winners. If they click, RR can become a very dangerous side.
- All-Rounder driven strategy: Modern T20 success often hinges on multi-skill players. RR are well equipped here.
- Dark Horse Potential: With a balanced squad and an explosive batting, RR can outperform expectations if combinations tried by them settle early.
Threats
- Inconsistency due to youth heavy core: Lack of experienced anchors could lead to collapses in crunch games for the RR team.
- Injury or availability issues: The replacement of Sam Curran with Dasun Shanaka shows fragility in the squad stability of the RR team.
- Stronger Competition: Teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have more settled cores if we compare that to the RR team.
- Role Overlap in Squad: There are too many similar type players like batting all-rounders which will lead to selection dilemmas and this will lead to a lot of problems for the Royals going forward.
RR Squad for IPL 2026Â
Riyan Parag (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Aman Rao, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira (wk), Lhuan dre Pretorius (wk), Ravi Singh (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma.
Predicted Performance of RR
RR looks like a high risk high reward team to us. They do not have consistency written on them. It’s either go big or go home for them. So, tough to predict anything on them. If they go big, they may go into playoffs or else they may miss out again. We feel looking at their inconsistency and new leader at helm, it will be tough for RR to make the playoffs. But stranger things have happened before.
Let’s see how things pan out in the IPL 2026 starting on 28th March, 2026.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Abhinav Mukund Slams SRH’s Strategy