5 IPL players who brought out their best for Rajasthan Royals

3. Shane Watson

Rajasthan Royals' Shane Watson hits a six during the IPL- 5 match against Pune Warriors in Pune. pic.twitter.com/YcIEQXhC

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) May 8, 2012

Former Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Shane Watson was the first player to be adjudged the player of the series in IPL history. Watson scored 472 runs, and picked up 17 wickets for the Jaipur-based franchise in the 2008 IPL.

Watson stayed with RR until the 2015 season. He donned their blue jersey 78 times, aggregating 2,372 runs and picking up 61 wickets. Rajasthan Royals team management even appointed him as the skipper for a brief period.

Watson's excellent performances helped him win the Most Valuable Player of the Season award in the 2013 IPL.

Although his numbers were great when he played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings later in his career, they were not as good as his statistics for the Jaipur-based franchise.

---

2. Johan Botha

Picture Of The Moment.#HappyBirthdayBotha @rajasthanroyals @johan_botha #FormerRoyal pic.twitter.com/SFloWZbUOY

— Rajasthan Royals TV (@TvRoyals) May 2, 2014

Johan Botha played for three different franchises during his 7-year long IPL career. He started with the Rajasthan Royals before plying his trade for the Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Royals used Botha as an all-rounder by sending him up the batting order and regularly giving him 3-4 overs with the ball. Botha amassed 335 runs at an average of 30.45 in 19 innings for RR.

His only IPL half-century came while donning the RR jersey - against the Deccan Chargers in 2011. Botha even scalped 19 wickets for Rajasthan while conceding runs at an economy rate of 6.85 runs per over.

Unfortunately, Botha could not replicate the same performance for the other two teams. His batting average dropped to 7.33 at DC, and the South African star managed only one wicket in four games for KKR.

---

1. James Faulkner picked up two five-wicket hauls for the Rajasthan Royals

Yorkers, bouncers, rippers, googlies - this has it all! 😍Which bowler is your pick for #RoyalsOfTheDecade? 🤔#HallaBol #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/lX4uAKNv7G

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 27, 2019

Australian all-rounder James Faulkner is the fourth highest wicket-taker in IPL history for the Rajasthan Royals. The all-rounder joined the RR franchise in 2013. Before that, he had played a season each for the Pune Warriors and the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

Faulkner's first two IPL teams did not give him a longer rope. The Pune Warriors included him in their playing XI only once, while Faulkner played two games for Punjab in IPL 2012.

The Rajasthan Royals backed him and gave him a place in 16 matches of IPL 2013. Faulkner repaid the team management's faith with 57 runs and 28 wickets. His tally of 28 wickets included a couple of five-wicket hauls versus the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Faulkner played two more seasons for the Rajasthan Royals and ended with 382 runs and 47 wickets for the Jaipur-based franchise. His performance dipped after he switched to the Gujarat Lions in 2016.