IPL 2022 Auction: 3 middle-order batters who will lend stability to Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals' relatively weak middle-order was their bane in IPL 2021 and the upcoming IPL 2022 auction will look at the side making a major revamp to their team structure.

With Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson taking up the top-three spots, the side will look for a dependable No.4 to steer the ship during mid-overs. The absence of Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone and the sub-par form of David Miller was a major blow for the franchise.

Ahead of the looming 2022 auction, we take a look at three middle-order batters that Rajasthan can look at for stability.

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#1 Ambati Rayudu can be their best No.4 bet during the IPL 2022 auction

Ambati Rayudu was an integral part of Chennai’s IPL-winning campaign in 2021. The 36-year-old scored 257 runs in 16 matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.17.

He has played 175 IPL games and has notched up 3916 runs at an average of 29.22 and a strike rate of 127.47. Rayudu, if not reacquired by CSK at the IPL 2022 auction, could be a massive buy for the Rajasthan Royals.

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#2 Nitish Rana

The former Kolkata Knight Riders star will look a for a new franchise in IPL 2022 as well and Rajasthan can use his services in the middle-order. His ability to drop anchor and play long innings makes him a solid addition.

Rana didn't have a lackluster IPL in the 2021 season but wasn’t consistent enough. He ended up with 383 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 121.97, including two half-centuries.

Overall, Rana has a decent IPL record. In 77 games, he has scored up 1820 runs at a strike rate of 132.45, with 13 half-centuries.

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#3 Deepak Hooda

Hard-hitting star Deepak Hooda has some serious talent with the blade. It was very much on display when he clobbered 64 off only 28 balls for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2021, a blazing knock which featured four fours and six sixes. But Hooda he didn’t do much later on in the season.

However, he does have the potential to play an innings that would stabilize the RR's mid-overs run in games. He might not be a bad choice in the IPL 2022 auction.