IPL 2020: Auction strategy for Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals, the winners of the inaugural edition, have not quite achieved the level of consistency that they would have liked to. They have failed to reach the final since that 2008 season, even though they have often punched above their weight.

A number of playoff appearances and third place finishes sandwiched between some very disappointing seasons - that has been the story of the Royals in the IPL post their victorious campaign in 2008.

The Royals have announced Steven Smith as the skipper for the upcoming edition. They traded Ajinkya Rahane, who has played the most number of matches for Rajasthan Royals, to Delhi Capitals for Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia.

Ajinkya Rahane

K Gowtham and Dhawal Kulkarni were the other major trades, and Ankit Rajpoot was traded in from KXIP.

RR released as many as 11 players ahead of the auctions. Though there were no big or unexpected names released, the franchise did let go of some overpriced players.

Also see – BPL Most Wickets

List of retained and released players

Retained: Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mahipal Lomror, Varun Aaron, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande (transferred), Rahul Tewatia (transferred), Ankit Rajpoot (transferred)

Released: Ashton Turner, Oshane Thomas, Shubham Ranjane, Prashant Chopra, Ish Sodhi, Aryaman Birla, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, Liam Livingstone and Sudheshan Midhun

Available Slots: 11 (four overseas)

Purse remaining: Rs 28.90 cr

Here we analyse how Rajasthan Royals should approach the auctions, taking a look at possible strategies and identifying potential candidates they could look out for.

Areas of concern

By including Rajpoot and letting go of Kulkarni, RR have shown a preference for raw pace. But apart from Varun Aaron, Rajpoot and Jofra Archer, Rajasthan do not have any decent pacers in their squad. Fast bowling will be the major area of focus for the Royals.

Also, despite having stalwarts like Jos Buttler, Smith and Ben Stokes, RR need some good Indian batting to make the bench stronger. After releasing Stuart Binny and trading K Gowtham, they lack firepower in the lower middle order. So finishing is another area of concern for the Royals ahead of the auctions.

Players Rajasthan Royals will look to buy in the IPL 2020 auction

Rajasthan Royals will be looking to buy back Jaydev Unadkat at a lower price. Among other fast bowling options, the ones in contention will be Sam Curran, Anrich Nortje, Alzarri Joseph and Pat Cummins. Curran and Cummins also provide more than handy support with the bat, while Joseph and Nortje, who can generate raw pace, will be well-suited for their home pitch.

Pat Cummins

RR will be looking for someone who can play the finisher's role with the bat. Sam Billings, Marcus Stoinis and Colin de Grandhomme are the ideal choices in this regard.

Given the presence of the strong overseas contingent, RR will find it tough to accommodate any more overseas batsmen in the playing XI. However, they would like to have them as backups in case of unavailability of the main overseas players.

The focus will be on bringing in some Indian talent who can do the finishing role. It will not be surprising if RR do not complete their full overseas quota.