IPL 2019: Strongest possible Rajasthan Royals XI  

Rajasthan Royals were the Champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Ever since the title win in 2008, they have reached the playoffs only on three occasions and never qualified for the finals. Also, they were suspended during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and returned to the competition in 2018.

Led by Ajinkya Rahane, Rajasthan Royals finished fourth last year and released as many as 10 players from the 2018 squad.

Players released before the auction: D'Arcy Short, Heinrich Klaasen, Ben Laughlin, Dane Peterson, Zahir Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh, Ankit Sharma, and Jatin Saxena.

They have retained the core of the squad and made some good signings in the auction. They returned for Jaydev Unadkat with a whooping INR 8.4 Crore winning bid. They have strengthened their bowling department with the signing of Varun Aaron and Oshane Thomas.

On that note, let's take a look at the strongest possible Rajasthan Royals playing XI for IPL 2019.

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Openers: Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane

Jos Buttler took the IPL by storm last season

Jos Buttler is one player from Rajasthan Royals squad who cannot be replaced from his batting position at any cost. Promoted to open the batting last season, the Englishman blasted five consecutive fifties. He was phenomenal in the tournament with 548 runs in 13 games at an average of 54.80 and a strike rate of 155.24. Later he was promoted as an opener for England in T20Is and he found immediate success. Buttler is key to Royals' success.

A consistent performer in IPL over the years, Ajinkya Rahane is a vital cog of Royals' set up. A versatile player who can bat anywhere in the top order, Rahane plays the role of an anchor in Royals' aggressive batting lineup. The 30-year-old has scored 3427 runs in IPL at an impressive average of 33. He is expected to bat at no.3 or no.4 for Royals in IPL 2019.

Middle-order: Steve Smith and Sanju Samson

Ajinkya Rahane

Steve Smith completes his one year ban and is expected to come back into the Royals side for IPL 2019. Whether the former Australian captain will lead his side still remains a question, but there is no doubt about his place in the playing XI. The 29-year-old scored 472 runs in IPL 2017 and averaged almost 40. Royals retained him for the next season.

Sanju Samson is expected to walk into the middle-order. Samson was brilliant for Royals last season with 441 runs in 15 games at an average of 31.50 and a strike rate of 137.81. The 24-year-old was consistent last season with three fifties and quite a few other useful contributions. He is getting better with each season and Royals made the right decision to retain him.

All-rounders: Ben Stokes and Krishnappa Gowtham

Ben Stokes in action for Rajasthan Royals- IPL 2018

Arguably the best all-rounder in world cricket at the moment, Ben Stokes will automatically grab an all-rounder spot in the Royals XI. In his last two IPL seasons combined, the 27-year-old has scored more than 500 runs at a strike rate of 1354 and picked up 20 wickets. With his abilities to win games with both the bat and ball, he is undoubtedly a key member of the Rajasthan Royals team.

Royals made Krishnappa Gowtham one of the expensive players at the 2018 IPL auction and he repaid them with an excellent season. Gowtham picked up 11 wickets in 15 games at an economy rate of 7.80. He has also scored 126 runs in the tournament at a stunning strike rate of 197. The 30-year-old is most certainly a key player for Royals next season.

Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, and Rahul Tewatia

Jofra Archer was exceptional for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019

Jofra Archer came to prominence during the 2017/18 Big Bash League season. He was phenomenal for Hobart Hurricanes with his searing pace and destructive yorkers. Royals paid a huge INR 7.2 Crore to sign him during the 2018 auction. Jofra Archer repaid their faith with 15 wickets in just 10 games at an economy rate of 8.36. He was rightly retained by the franchise for the 2019 campaign.

Rahul Tewatia bowled well for Rajasthan Royals last season and expected to retain his place in the team. He picked up six wickets in eight games last season at an economy rate of 7.86. The 25-year-old is also a decent batsman down the order and can chip in with useful contributions.

Jaydev Unadkat returns to Rajasthan Royals for the 2019 season. The left-arm seamer was bought by the franchise for INR 11.5 Crore during the 2018 auction but released later. Unadkat picked up 11 wickets in 15 games last season at an economy rate of 9.65. Royals returned for their seamer with a winning bid of INR 8.4 Crore after an intense bidding war with Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab.

Bowlers: Varun Aaron, Shreyas Gopal

Varun Aaron is back in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab

Varun Aaron is back in the Indian Premier League. He did not play a part in IPL 2018 but was bought by Royals for INR 2.4 Crore at the 2019 IPL auction. He has been in good form over the past few months and has picked up 18 wickets for Jharkhand in the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Varun Aaron is also performing well in the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign with 18 wickets in five games, which includes a couple of five-wicket hauls.

Shreyas Gopal was brilliant for Rajasthan Royals last season. He was retained by the franchise and is expected to play a huge role for Royals next season. The leg-spinner has picked up 11 wickets in 11 games last season at an economy rate of less than 8 per over.