IPL 2018: SWOT analysis of the Rajasthan Royals Squad 

The Rajasthan Royals will commence their IPL 2018 campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday (April 9). They are back to the fray after a hiatus of two years and certainly have a point to prove in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League.

Ajinkya Rahane will lead the RR squad this season, while Shane Warne is back to his beloved franchise as a mentor of the side.

Let us now dive into a SWOT analysis of the RR unit this year:

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Strengths

A slate of powerful all-rounders

Rajasthan Royals is a franchise that was known for its conservative spending in the auctions of the Indian Premier League. However, they shook off that skin and went out of their way to buy thunderbolts at the event this year.

They picked up two of the best all-rounders of the players' pool in Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. The former is a proven player in this format of the game and lived up to his hefty price tag for Rising Pune Supergiant.

RR have always had a heady mix of experience and youth in their ranks. However, what they have lacked is the presence of a superstar on the field. Stokes checks that box for them and is the kind of player who you can bet on with your bottom dollar.

They also purchased Karnataka’s star all-rounder, Krishnappa Gowtham, for big money at the auction earlier this year. Stuart Binny is another experienced campaigner who is a good utility player to have on your side

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Strong batting unit

The batting line-up of the Royals is strong and is expected to have impressive depth. They have three brilliant batsmen at the top of the order in Rahane, D'Arcy Short, and Rahul Tripathi.

They will be followed by the power-hitting duo of Stokes and Jos Buttler. The talented Heinrich Klaasen might also come into the mix from time to time.

It is a formidable line-up with the willow, one which is as good as that of any other team in the IPL this year.

Weaknesses

Lack of economical bowlers

Jaydev Unadkat is adept at dismissing batsmen consistently but tends to leak runs from time to time

While the batting contingent and all-rounder element of RR are strong and sorted, their bowling can be looked upon with apprehension, at least for now. The big names of the Royals' bowling line-up include Dhawal Kulkarni, Anureet Singh, K Gowtham, Ben Laughlin, and the 11-crore buy, Jaydev Unadkat.

While all these bowlers have the knack of picking wickets from time to time, they are not very adept at restricting the scoring. Those who have good economical numbers do not have the experience of playing at this level.

Hence, it will be tough for Rahane to recognize a bowler that will give him four efficient and non-expensive overs. It is extremely important to have such a bowler in a T20 side.

Opportunity

Resurrecting the brand

This franchise has gone through a lot in the last five years

Rajasthan Royals was a franchise that was known for its the fairplay it operated with and the dignity of its leadership, which first came from Shane Warne and then from Rahul Dravid. RR did not win the trophy after the inaugural edition of the tournament but yet, managed to command respect everywhere they went.

However, everything changed after the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, the core of the unit was shook and ultimately, RR had to resign to a two-year suspension.

Just as they were gearing to make a comeback this season, their previously-appointed captain, Steven Smith, found himself in the whirlwind of a ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town. The Royals had to strip him of his captaincy and handover the mantle to Rahane in a hasty and hyper manner.

The unfolding of these events has now given them the chance to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. This is a golden opportunity for the Men in Blue to regroup and rebuild the image of their brand. IPL 2018 will be about pride and honour for the Rajasthan Royals, more so amongst anything else.

Threat

Experienced oppositions

Rajasthan has a dearth of experience in certain areas

The RR squad has been bolstered by some exciting talent that has been roped in from the domestic circuit as well as foreign soils. Shane Warne has also come back to his beloved IPL franchise, this time as a mentor.

However, they lack in terms of experience in their overall unit. While Rahane has been a powerful performer for them in the past, this is the first time he will venture into the role of a full-fledged captain. Jofra Archer and D'Arcy Short have proven themselves extensively in the Big Bash League this year, but are untested, and thus unproven, on Indian soils for now. Ben Stokes is the real powerhouse of their squad, but the English all-rounder is still taking strides to return to professional cricket.

Hence, this is a team that will take time to gel together. They will need to make up for each other's weaknesses to try and survive and thrive together, as a cohesive unit. A major threat to their campaign this season would be going up against opposition that is more experienced than them. It will be interesting to see how they plan to circumvent this hurdle through the next six weeks.