IPL 2020: Rajasthan Royals SWOT Analysis

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be looking to step up their game after a forgettable outing in the 12th edition, where they finished 7th on the table.

To change things around, the inaugural winners of the IPL released 11 players - Liam Livingstone, Oshane Thomas, Prashant Chopra, Aryaman Birla, Rahul Tripathi, Sudheshan Midhun, Ashton Turner, Shubham Ranjane, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, and Stuart Binny.

However, the players forming the crux of the team - Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Shashank Singh, Mahipal Lomror, and Manan Vohra - were all retained.

Meanwhile, three players - Rahul Tewatia, Ankit Rajpoot, and Mayank Markande -- were traded in by the Andrew McDonald-coached team.

With ₹ 28.9 crores in their kitty, Rajasthan Royals had a busy auction and roped in as many as 11 players. Some of the biggest buys are experienced campaigner Robin Uthappa, Tom Curran, David Miller, and Andrew Tye.

Jaydev Unadkat and Oshane Thomas were also bought back. Apart from these, an interesting buy for the inaugural IPL champions is 17-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was roped in for a massive ₹ 2.40 crores. That was some auction for the Rajasthan Royals!

Now, captain Steve Smith and his troops have a chance to start afresh in IPL 2020. Let us do a quick SWOT analysis of the Royals to gain some insights into their chances this season.

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Strengths

Steve Smith is undoubtedly one of the best captains currently

Opening batsman Jos Buttler is one of the biggest strengths for the Rajasthan Royals. The explosive batsman scored 311 runs in 11 matches at a phenomenal strike rate of 151.70 and an impressive average of 38.87 in IPL 2019.

Captain Steve Smith also made an impressive return to international cricket by scoring 319 runs for the Royals at an average of 39.87 in IPL 12.

The Jaipur-based franchise have brilliant options behind the stumps in the form of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and now Robin Uthappa.

Furthermore, the superb trio of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler were instrumental in England's World Cup-winning campaign in 2019. They are all potential match-winners in their own right and one of RR's biggest strengths.

Shreyas Gopal clinched 20 wickets in 14 matches last season at an economy rate of 7.22 and commendable strike rate of 14.40. The spinner is one of RR's biggest strengths with his lethal leg-breaks. A good mix of both experienced and young players is another strength for the Rajasthan Royals and their fans will be delighted with how the squad that has been put together for IPL 2020.

Note: All statistics included are as of January 28, 2020

Weaknesses

Jaydev Unadkat has not justified his high price tag and received heavy criticism

With so many new additions in the side, getting the combination right early on would be a difficult task for the Royals. It is always good to have multiple players in the team who have played together for a few years at least. Shuffling the team so much can prove to backfire for Rajasthan.

Robin Uthappa's form in the past few IPL editions has been questionable. He was recently purchased at the auctions and it is not the best move considering his form.

The fast bowling department is not convincing with the team heavily dependent on Jofra Archer for breakthroughs. Jaydev Unadkat has consistently been criticised for his poor performances in the past few editions but somehow the Royals' team management continues to trust him.

Although Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Varun Aaron are decent options, the newly purchased Tom Curran is the best bet to support Archer in the current set-up.

RR would have ideally liked a few other good speedsters in their ranks and the fast bowling department is set to be one of their weaknesses in IPL 2020.

Opportunities

Riyan Parag is likely to be a permanent member in the starting XI of Royals this season

Steve Smith will be looking to lead from the front in a bid to help Rajasthan to their second IPL title after the glory days of 2008 when another great leg spinner was leading them.

The Royals are not the favourites yet again and most certainly not the strongest team on paper. They have the opportunity to spring in a surprise as they did in the inaugural edition of IPL. For that to happen, the young players like Riyan Parag will need to up the ante this season. The experienced players such as Robin Uthappa, David Miller, and Jofra Archer will also have to be at their best from the word go.

The young Parag showed promise last season by scoring a fifty and amassing a total of 160 runs in 7 matches. He also chipped in with 2 wickets in the bowling department. RR can not afford many slip-ups during their campaign and a good beginning in IPL 2020 will set the tone for the rest of the season to follow.

Indian youngsters have a chance to be in the reckoning for T20 World Cup

A good performance in the IPL will help the youngsters grab eyeballs and be in the reckoning for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup for their respective national teams. Ankit Rajpoot, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, and Mayank Markande will all be looking to break into the Indian team after 2020 IPL.

Threats

Ben Stokes has no back-up for himself

Barring Ben Stokes, there is a dearth of quality all-rounders in the team. Shreyas Gopal was excellent with the ball last season and made 20 scalps. He was RR's leading wicket-taker in IPL 2019 but failed to prove his mettle as a batsman.

Other all-rounders in the team include Aniruddha Joshi, Mahipal Lomror, Tom Curran, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. While a couple of them have done well domestically, how they will perform during the IPL remains a big question mark.

Even Rahul Tewatia has been brought in but his IPL career is not extraordinary. Overall, the all-rounders' department is not at all convincing and something which might cause some trouble for head coach Andrew McDonald. An injury to/unavailibility of Ben Stokes or Shreyas Gopal can prove to be potentially disastrous and is a huge threat.

The lack of a seasoned spinner is also a potential threat. Mayank Markande is RR's best bet in this department and he too, is not that experienced.

Despite the weaknesses and threats, Rajasthan Royals is a decent unit overall. With many talented players, the trick would be getting the playing combination as soon as possible.