IPL 2020: 3 players who could captain Rajasthan Royals

The IPL trade window was quite busy on Thursday with various players being traded from one franchise to another ahead of the IPL auction next month. In one of the most highlighted trades of the day, Rajasthan Royals released their skipper Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi Capitals to avail the services of the leg-spin duo, Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia, from the Delhi-based franchise.

Rahane made his debut for the Royals in 2011 and was a key player for the Royals until IPL 2015 before the franchise was banned for two years, only to return in 2018. In the 2018 auction, the Mumbai batsman re-joined the franchise as their captain for the season. It was his proficient skills as a captain that helped RR qualify for the playoffs before bowing out in the Eliminator against KKR.

However, despite being one of their more successful players in years gone by, the 31-year old will now represent Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020. Rahane's departure leaves a void in the Royals' camp with a serious need for a new leader who can take the franchise forward in the 13th edition. Rajasthan do boast of a couple of foreign recruits in their ranks who might be handed the prestigious job of leading the side in the future.

Although Steve Smith lead the side when Rahane decided to step down as captain of the Royals, it was only temporarily. Here are three players who can be named captain for the 2020 season of the IPL.

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#3 Ben Stokes

Stokes will hope to make the opportunity count in IPL 2020

One of the most sought-after cricketers in the world at the moment, Ben Stokes had a remarkable 2019 in international cricket. He has witnessed a purple patch for the majority of the year with the World Cup win being the most highlighted essay of his journey.

His heroics to single-handedly win the Ashes Test at Headingley already sees him as one of the better players to have ever played the game for England. The start to 2019, however, wasn't great for Stokes as he couldn't turn the Jaipur franchise's fortunes around.

The English all-rounder, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping price of INR 12.5 Cr in IPL 2018, failed to deliver for his team in both seasons that he has played for them.

However, in IPL 2020, Stokes will arrive with a different reputation and confidence from the immense success behind him in 2019. It won't be surprising if the all-rounder is asked to lead the side in the next season in place of Rahane. He can be one of their key players going forward. Expect him to deliver the goods for the team despite failing in the last two seasons.

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#2 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler has been doing the bulk of scoring for RR

The England wicket-keeper batsman, Jos Buttler, is renowned for his big-hitting in the white-ball format. Buttler has been a regular feature in the IPL for the last few seasons. His innovative shot selection which offers great value is always a treat to watch for the Royals' supporters in the IPL.

The 29-year old has been a constant performer for the Rajasthan Royals in the last two seasons. His promotion to the top-order in IPL 2019 changed fortunes for the franchise as he ended up creating a match-winning impact in most of the games. Buttler's prolific run-scoring in the latter part of the 2018 season even guided Rajasthan to the playoffs.

In the upcoming season, it is possible that the 29-year-old might be trusted with the captain's role after being with the franchise for more than two years now. He is also the vice-captain for England in the limited-overs format and thus, his handy experience could come into play if given the responsibility to lead the side.

#1 Steve Smith

Smith took over the captaincy from Rahane even in 2019

A wily customer with the bat in hand, Steve Smith has also been a really successful skipper for Australia before his year-long suspension in 2018. He has also led his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals intermittently at various points in the league. Smith was even handed the captaincy job mid-way in IPL 2019 to bring the Royals' campaign back on track.

However, Smith was the skipper only for a handful of matches before he left due to his national commitments. In the upcoming season, Smith might be the apt choice to lead the team since he has the experience of captaining in the IPL and knows a thing or two about the players and the management at RR.

He will arrive in IPL 2020 as an even better batsman who is currently ruling Test cricket. Apart from leading the side, Smith might also want to do well in the IPL considering the T20 World Cup will be held in the same year.