IPL 2018: Strengths and weaknesses of the Rajasthan Royals squad

We have already entered the pre-phase of the Indian Premier League where every franchise is busy boosting their social-connect with ad campaigns, photo shoots, and public announcements. But then, there is the Rajasthan Royals franchise, which has been silently oozing through the headlines and doing their job without much of a hush-hush.

RR has kept up a blend of youth and experience in their squad by picking in some respectable Indian and foreign cricketers. Unlike other franchises, they haven't invested vigorously on quality spin, yet have figured out how to fill all openings with reinforcements in different departments.

However, in spite of binge spending an enormous amount at the auction this year, they might not have covered all the bases.

Rajasthan Royals squad: Steven Smith (C), Benjamin Andrew Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jos Buttler, Ajinkya Rahane, Darcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny, Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit Sharma, and Mahipal Lomror.

Let us now analyze the Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2018.

Strengths:

Steve Smith and Ben Stokes will prove to be crucial for RR

Rajasthan Royals have a significantly sorted batting line-up. With Jos Butler, D'Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, and Jofra Archer in its ranks, Rajasthan enjoys an in-depth and a varied batting line-up.

Rajasthan has all the bases covered in the batting line-up as they have a particular batsman for every role, which will help them to chop and change the playing XI up depending upon the various situations and oppositions.

They have Smith and Rahane, who can build on the innings, while also the likes of Short and Archer, who can up the role of a pinch-hitter. In addition to that, RR have Tripathi and Samson, who can provide them with a solid start. Last but not the least, they enjoy the duties of Ben Stokes as well, who will be the linchpin of Royals' batting line-up.

Thus, batting will be the primary strength of the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming edition of IPL.

Weaknesses:

Royals will have to dig out an apt spin option

Two glaring weaknesses stem from the RR squad at the moment. One being their juvenile spin department and the other being the inexperience of their capped Indian campaigners.

The primary weakness in the RR squad is their dearth of quality spin options. With Krishnappa Gowtham, Ankit Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, and Zahir Khan being the inexperienced campaigners, Royals fall short in this department. Captain Smith will have to dig in hard to find a spinner who can assist him on a turning track like the one in Chennai.

The secondary weakness in the squad is the inexperienced capped Indian players. Barring Rahane, Rajasthan lacks an experienced capped Indian campaigner. Currently, Rahane and Jaydev Unadkat are the only RR players who are a part of the Indian set-up.

Apart from the two, the only capped Indian players the squad are Samson and Dhawal Kulkarni, who are currently out of the national set-up. Royals have roped in a lot of uncapped players, which may cause issues down the road for them, as they may need to rely on overseas talent to search for experience.

Opportunities:

IPL 2018 will be crucial for Ajinkya Rahane

This season will bring in plenty of opportunities for the Royals. These include everything from nurturing young talent to initiating Rahane's comeback to the Indian LOI setup.

Royals have a good pool of young uncapped players. With no experienced spinner in the squad, RR would be highly relying on the likes of Mahipal Lomror and Krishnappa Gowtham to assist them with their all-round performance. Thus, it would be a golden opportunity for the youngsters to perform at a higher level and make their case for the international cricket.

On the other hand, this is a substantial an opportunity for Rahane as well. He has been an exceptional player for the Indian team over the past few seasons.

However, due to various factors, he hasn't been able to fix his place in the Indian LOI teams yet. Thus, this year's IPL will be crucial for him to churn some terrific numbers in the shortest format of the game to knock on the national selectors' doors.

Threats:

Jofra Archer's injury woes will haunt RR

Rajasthan Royals face two serious threats: the over-reliance on Jaydev Unadkat and the injury concerns of Jofra Archer.

Currently, it seems RR is highly reliant on Unadkat in the pace department of their bowling attack. However, Unadkat's recent form is an area of concern for the team, as the left-arm seamer has undergone real bashing while opening the bowling for the Indian team in the ongoing Nidahas Trophy.

In addition to that, Archer's fitness happens to be a serious problem for the IPL franchise. He is suffering from side-strain currently and thus, he might end up missing the early stages of the league.