IPL 2020 : 3 players RR might release before the IPL auction

The inaugural champions of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals have not been able to win the IPL trophy ever since their title glory in 2008. The Jaipur-based franchise have qualified for the playoffs in the past few seasons but they will look to regain the coveted trophy in the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league.

Talking about their 2019 season in the IPL, Rajasthan Royals had only won 5 of their 14 matches. The team management had changed the captain midway through the season but, this year they will try to come with a proper plan in the auction room.

Last season, Ajinkya Rahane had emerged as the best batsman of the team with 393 runs in 14 matches whereas Shreyas Gopal took 20 wickets in 14 games to finish the season as Rajasthan Royals’ most successful bowler.

However, there were a few stars who did not live up to expectations in the twelfth edition of IPL hence, Rajasthan may release them ahead of the 2020 IPL Auction.

Here are the three players RR might release.

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#3 Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi has been a part of Rajasthan Royals since IPL 2018

Performance in IPL 2019 - Matches - 8, Runs - 141, Average - 23.50, Strike Rate - 119.49

After establishing himself as one of the top performers for the Rising Pune Super Giant in IPL 2017, Rahul Tripathi earned an IPL contract from Rajasthan Royals in 2018. In the two seasons the right-handed batsman played for the season one champions, he aggregated 367 runs in 20 matches.

Though his IPL season in 2018 was a decent one, Tripathi could not get going in the succeeding edition. He played only 8 games for RR, scoring 141 runs at an average of 23.50. His strike rate of 119.49 indicates how much he struggled last year. Also, he could register only a single half-ton in the entire 2019 season.

Thus, Rajasthan Royals may look to end their association with Rahul and search for a better Indian talent in the auction.

Also see – World Test Championship points table

#2 Varun Aaron

Varun Aaron proved to be very expensive in IPL 2019 (Image Courtesy - IPLT20/BCCI)

Performance in IPL 2019 - Matches - 5, Wickets - 4, Economy Rate - 9.66

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore star Varun Aaron became a part of the Rajasthan Royals side earlier this year. The right-arm pacer from Jharkhand featured in five matches of IPL 2019 where he scalped 4 wickets at a strike rate of 18. Though these numbers are good, what hurt Rajasthan Royals’ chances the most was Aaron’s economy rate.

The 29-year-old had conceded runs at a hammering rate of 9.66 runs per over in the five games he played. Aaron bowls at a high speed consistently. However, his poor line and length have often created troubles for his side.

He had made an impact for Rajasthan Royals in match number 45 of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The right-arm quick had dismissed Vijay Shankar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the match to finish with figures of 2/36. In the next match, Aaron bowled one over against Royal Challengers Bangalore but, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers milked 23 runs from those six deliveries.

Also, he had bowled two wicket-less overs against the Delhi Capitals. The team management would not have been impressed with Aaron’s performances and hence, he may be released by the Rajasthan Royals before the next auction.

#1 Ish Sodhi

Ish Sodhi was taken to the cleaners in IPL 2019

Performance in IPL 2019 - Matches - 2, Wickets - 4, Economy Rate - 9.34

One of the major reasons why Rajasthan Royals failed to make it to the playoffs of the previous edition of the IPL was because of their bowlers conceding runs at a very expensive rate. We saw how expensive Varun Aaron was in IPL 2019. And, the same way, New Zealand’s leg-spinner Ish Sodhi too leaked runs very easily.

The fans know how important the four foreign slots of an IPL playing XI are. Hence, no team can afford to have a weak link in their foreign department. Though Sodhi took 4 wickets in just 2 games of IPL 2019, his economy rate of 9.34 kept him out of the squad.

The leg-spinner had scalped three of those four wickets in the final match of the season against THE Delhi Capitals. However, when he was drafted in the playing XI for the match against Kings XI Punjab earlier in the season, Sodhi could not keep a check on the runs he conceded and finished the match with figures of 1/41 in 4 overs. The Kiwi emerged as the most expensive spin bowler of that fixture which ultimately led to his exclusion from the team for the remainder of the campaign.

As mentioned above, the four overseas spots are extremely important in the IPL, which is why RR should release Ish Sodhi and continue with the trio of Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Riyan Parag in the spin-bowling department.