RR’s strongest playing 11 after IPL 2023 Auction

Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished one step away from the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy after losing to Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of the last edition. They failed to defend 130 runs as Hardik Pandya and Co. lifted the trophy in their debut season.

The Royals, who are chasing their second IPL title, made some swift purchases at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi on Friday, December 23. They roped in overseas stars Jason Holder, Joe Root, and Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa to strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming season.

They also signed seasoned Indian cricketers Murugan Ashwin and KM Asif. Sanju Samson and Co. also roped in a few young Indian cricketers with an eye on the future.

The Royals look like they have all their bases covered on paper and will aim for nothing less than the title.

On that note, let's take a look at their strongest playing 11 after the IPL 2023 auction.

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Rajasthan Royals squad: Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Jos Buttler, K.C Cariappa, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Obed Mccoy, Prasidh Krishna, R. Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Joe Root, Abdul P A, Akash Vashisht, Murugan Ashwin, KM Asif, Adam Zampa, Kunal Rathore, Donovan Ferreira, and Jason Holder.

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Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler

Yashashvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler formed a destructive opening partnership last season. They gave Rajasthan quite a few decent starts last season, which helped the batters to follow.

Young Yashasvi scored 258 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 132.99, including two half-centuries last season. The southpaw has been in exceptional form on the domestic circuit and will hope to carry on the good work when the season starts.

Jos Buttler had a remarkable season in IPL 2022, finishing as the highest run-scorer. He amassed 863 runs, including four centuries and as many fifties, in 17 matches at an average of 57.53. The England skipper was more than 200 runs above second-placed KL Rahul.

The duo will once again be key to Rajasthan's success and the think tank will rely on them to deliver good starts on a consistent basis.

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Middle order: Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag

Sanju Samson has been the lynchpin of the Rajasthan Royals' batting over the years, leading the side from the front. He had a good outing last season, scoring 458 runs at a strike rate of 146.79 from 17 games.

Devdutt Padikkal adapted well after joining the franchise ahead of last season. The talented southpaw, who grabbed the limelight after his stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), made his presence felt in RR batting, playing a few useful knocks.

West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer adds firepower to this batting lineup. He is capable of playing big shots and could be the designated finisher for the team.

Riyan Parag brings is the X-factor of this side. The Assam-born youngster, who has been in decent form on the domestic circuit, can bat according to the situation and also play the long handle. He can also come in handy with his off-spin and is a gun fielder.

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All-rounder: Jason Holder

RR spalshed ₹5.75 crore at the IPL 2023 auction to rope in seasoned all-rounder Jason Holder. The former West Indies skipper has been part of various franchises in the past and brings a wealth of experience to the side.

The lanky fast bowler is very handy with the ball. Holder can bowl at different phases of the game, which is any captain's delight. He is also a handy lower-middle order batter and can bat according to the situation.

He has picked up 195 wickets and has scored almost 1800 runs in 200 T20 games.

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Spinners: Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal

Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin brings vast experience to the RR side. He played a crucial role in the last edition, bowling at an economy of 6.98 and picking up 12 wickets. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer also made useful contributions with the bat in the lower order, scoring 191 runs, including a half-century.

Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the best leg-spinners going around. He joined the franchise ahead of last season and immediately made his presence felt. Chahal picked up 27 wickets to finish as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He will hope to keep up the good work in the coming season.

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Pacers: Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna

The left-arm fast bowler from New Zealand is an attacking bowler who picks up wickets upfront. The senior pacer provided innumerable breakthroughs in the powerplays for RR last season, finishing with 16 wickets. The Rajasthan think tank will hope for similar performances for him this season.

Prasidh Krishna, who hails from Karnataka, was RR's most impactful fast bowler last season. The lanky pacer played all of the games in the last edition, picking up 19 wickets in the process. He will look to form a deadly partnership with Boult once again in IPL 2023.

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