IPL 2019: Top 5 wicket takers for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL history

It's hard to believe that the inaugural champions of the IPL have been labelled as underdogs for a long time. But that has been the story of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. They have never had too many 'star' players but have always managed to get dependable players and the best out of them to play consistently every season.

They have made it to the playoffs 4 times and lifted the trophy once in 2008. They were banned along with the Chennai Super Kings for a period of two years and made their comeback in 2018 where they unexpectedly make it to the playoffs.

Their bowlers and the all-rounders have been their strengths and they produced the first Purple Cap winner in Sohail Tanvir.

Here's RR's squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Krishnappa Gowtham, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Gopal, Aryaman Birla, Sudhesan Midhun, Prashant Chopra, Stuart Binny, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mahipal Lomror, Jos, Buttler, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi,Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Shubham Ranjane, Manan Vohra, Ashton Turner, Riyan Parag.

Let's take a look at the 5 highest wicket-takers for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL history.

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#5 Kevon Cooper- 33 Wickets

Kevon Cooper played 3 seasons in the IPL

The Trinidad all-rounder is one of those players whose contributions to the side were seldom heralded and has faded away out of the big picture. Kevon Cooper was bought by the Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2012 and he impressed in his very first game, picking up 4 wickets and playing a little cameo.

A clever medium pace bowler who was very effective in the death, Cooper stayed in the radar of the IPL for the next couple of seasons but fell out of vogue after Pepsi IPL 2014 and never played in the league again. He picked up 33 wickets in just 25 appearances for the side and bowled at a good economy rate of 7.88.

He continued playing in T20 leagues like the BPL and PSL and is currently playing regional cricket in the West Indies.

#4 James Faulkner- 47 Wickets

James Faulkner picked up 28 wickets in his first season at Jaipur

James Faulkner is yet another consistent all-rounder to have played for the Rajasthan Royals. He's a left-arm pacer and a right-hand bat and a good slog-over batsman known for his death bowling and close finishes he provides.

A very athletic cricketer, Faulkner was the X-Factor in the Royals setup for 3 seasons, from 2013 until 2015 before moving to the Gujarat Lions after RR was banned. Due to poor performances, he has fallen out of the line for a place in an IPL team.

Faulkner has picked up 47 wickets from 42 wickets and became expensive towards the twilight of his stint with the Royals and had a career economy of 8.41 with them. He played several vital cameos and scored 382 runs at a great strike-rate of 147.

Though out of the IPL, he continues to play in other major T20 leagues like the Big Bash League and also in the T10 League. He has also been considered for selection in Australia's T20I squad.

#3 Shane Warne- 57 Wickets

Warne was the talisman for the Rajasthan Royals

Shane Warne, 'The Spin King' led the Rajasthan Royals to the title in the inaugural edition of the IPL. The leggie mentored few of the best cricketing talents like Jadeja in his stint with the team and excelled as a player too.

He captained the side for 4 seasons starting from 2008 till 2011 and hasn't played in the IPL since then.

He was the second highest wicket-taker in the 2008 season behind team-mate Sohail Tanvir with 19 wickets from 16 matches at a good economy rate of 7.76. Warne was consistent with his bowling in all the seasons he played and is the third-highest wicket-taker for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL history.

He has played a total of 55 matches for the Rajasthan Royals and has picked up 57 wickets averaging a decent 25.38 and a great economy of 7.27.

Though it has been a long time since he has played in the IPL, Warne continues to be associated with the league and is a popular commentator and is the Brand Ambassador for the Rajasthan Royals.

#2 Shane Watson- 61 Wickets

Watson represented the Royals in the first 7 editions of the tournament

Shane Watson can probably be called the best player for the Rajasthan Royals across the seasons. The Aussie all-rounder was extremely consistent with both bat and ball for the Royals and continues to play in the IPL after retiring from international cricket. He remains as one of the more successful overseas players in the IPL.

Watson was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for the 2008 season and he justified his price tag with a brilliant performances that season and won 4 Man of the Match awards and later, the Man of the Tournament award.

He was exceptional with both bat and ball and has scored 3 hundreds in the IPL, one of them for RR and the other two for CSK. He has scored 2372 runs for the Royals in 78 matches averaging 36.49 with an impressive strike-rate of 141.27.

Known more for his exploits with the bat, Watson was always a good bowling option for Rajasthan and picked up 61 wickets from 78 matches for the team at a good economy rate of 7.49.

He will be seen in action playing for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2019 after he scored a hundred in the IPL 2018 final leading the team to victory.

#1 Siddharth Trivedi- 65 Wickets

Siddharth Trivedi is another cricketer who has faded away

The highest wicket-taker for the Rajasthan Royals is a bowler who never made it big on the international stage and joins the list of forgotten cricketers. Siddharth Trivedi is the highest wicket-taker for the Rajasthan Royals and stayed with the side from 2008 till it was banned in 2015 and never played in the IPL again.

Trivedi was a fast bowler who didn't have exceptional pace or swing but knew to read the conditions and the situation and bowl accordingly. A clever bowler and an astute reader of the game, he was a key part of the RR side which won the first edition of the IPL.

Trivedi played for the Gujarat team in domestic circuit but changed to Saurashtra following a 1-year ban due to him not reporting a match-fixing agent who approached him. He has picked up 65 wickets from 76 matches for the Royals averaging 29.29 with a good economy rate of 7.58.