Ben Stokes was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.5 crore. (Express Archive)
Returning to the IPL after a span of two years, Rajasthan Royals made an instant impact at this year’s auctions when they went on to buy the star England all-rounder Ben Stokes for Rs 12.5 crore, making him the costliest player of the season once again. Stokes, who was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant for Rs 14.5 crore last season, played 12 matches in the tournament in which he went on to score 316 runs at an average of 31.6 at a strike rate of 142.99. He also hammered a century last season.
Royals did not stop the spending spree there and also bought seamer Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 11.5 crore, making him the costliest Indian in the auction. Unadkat, who is an experienced campaigner of the tournament, took 24 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 13.41 and a decent economy of 7.02 in the 2017 edition.
Strength: With the likes of Steve Smith and Ben Stokes in the middle-order, it is obvious where the strength of the squad lies. Rajasthan Royals have packed a solid middle order which is only boosted by the likes of Darcy Short and Stuart Binny, who are experienced players in the format. Short, who plays for Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash, has scored 3 half centuries and a ton in this season for his side and it came as no surprise when several franchises went all guns blazing to get his services. Stokes and Smith, who both played for Rising Pune Supergiant in the previous season, were key elements to take their side to the final in the 2017 season and the duo might repeat the same with Rajasthan this year.
Smart Buy: The unknown 22-year old West Indies sensation Jofrey Archer was bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore after battling it out with at least 5 other franchises to get his service. Archer, who plays for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, has impressed with his all-round performance. He has already picked up over 30 wickets in the tournament at an average of 18.1 with an impressive economy rate of 7.81. He bowls at a fast pace, often clocking 145 kmph, and has also garnered attention with his ability to hit sixes. Archer has a T20 strike rate of 145.45, and he can prove t0 be a match-winner coming down late in the order.
Weakness: The weakness with the Rajasthan Royals squad is they have not invested in a lot of capped Indian players. Rajasthan retained Ajinkya Rahane via RTM for Rs 4 crore, and he is the only capped Indian player apart from Unadkat who is still a part of the Indian team set-up. Apart from the two, the only capped Indian player in Rajasthan squad is Sanju Samson and Dhawal Kulkarni, who are currently out of the team set-up. RR has invested a lot on uncapped talent once again and it might come back to haunt him, as they might have to depend on overseas talent to look for experience. With a limit on how many overseas players a team can play in a match, it could pose a trouble for them.
Rajasthan Royals squad: Steve Smith (retained 12.5 crore), Ben Stokes (12.5 c), Ajinkya Rahane (4 c), Stuart Binny (50 Lakh), Sanju Samson (8 c), Jos Buttler (4.4 c), Rahul Tripathi (3.4 c), D’Arcy Short (4 c), Jofra Archer (7.2 c), K Gowtham (6.2 Cr), Dhawal Kulkarni (75L RTM), Jaydev Unadkat (11.5 cr), Ankit Sharma (20L), Anureet Singh (30L), Zahir Khan Pakteen (60L), Shreyas Gopal (20L), MS Midhun (20L) Prashant Chopra (20 lakh), Ben Laughlin (Rs 50 Lakh), Mahipal Lomror (Rs 20 Lakh), Jatin Saxena (Rs 20 Lakh), Aryaman Vikram Birla (Rs 30 Lakh) and Dushmanta Chameera (Rs 50 Lakh)
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