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Rajasthan Royals (RR) have started their IPL 2023 campaign with some magnificent performances. The finalists of the previous IPL season have recorded three wins in four games of IPL 2023 so far. RR currently hold top position in the standings with six points.
Fans should note that the Rajasthan Royals are yet to play a match at their fortress, the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. They have still won 75% of the matches in the competition so far.
RR started the IPL 2023 season with a big win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They lost their second game against the Punjab Kings, but have bounced back in style with victories over the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While these are still early days in IPL 2023, here are three reasons why the Rajasthan Royals are the team to beat this season.
#1 Rajasthan Royals have a lot of variety in every department
IPL 2023 is taking place in a home-and-away format. Unlike the last three seasons, league-stage matches are not scheduled to be held at three or four particular venues. The teams will play seven matches on home soil and seven games in seven other different stadiums.
The conditions at all the venues differ from one another. Some pitches help the spinners, while some are excellent for batting. A few wickets also have something for the pace bowlers. Hence, the teams need to have enough depth in all the departments.
Rajasthan Royals' team management has done an excellent job in terms of squad formation. They have a solid batting lineup featuring the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Even Dhruv Jurel has stepped up and delivered the goods for the team this season.
RR's spin attack comprises Adam Zampa, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Their pace attack consists of Trent Boult, Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Kuldeep Sen, and Sandeep Sharma. They have two to three specialist players for every kind of pitch.
#2 Captain Sanju Samson's intelligence
Over the years, many franchises have formed strong squads in the IPL, but not all of them ended up performing well. Some of them finished at the bottom of the points table as well because the captaincy and management were not that great.
Sanju Samson has used his resources to perfection in IPL 2023 so far. Last night against Chennai Super Kings, he backed Sandeep Sharma and did not give him too many instructions, allowing him to stick to his plans when CSK needed seven runs off three balls.
#3 Rajasthan Royals breached Chepauk fortress in IPL 2023
Chennai Super Kings rarely lose a match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. They know the conditions in Chennai well, and captain MS Dhoni has led CSK to many wins at the stadium.
Since 2013, only the league's most successful team, the Mumbai Indians have managed to defeat CSK in Chennai. Rajasthan Royals ended their six-match losing streak against CSK at Chepauk last night with a three-run win.
The last time RR won a match in Chennai was back in IPL 2008. RR ended up as champions that season. It will be interesting to see if they can win the title this year.
