Two defeats from three games have put the Rajasthan Royals' campaign in a bit of a quandary, and more so, given the disappointing batting performance, the team put together in its defeat against Chennai Super Kings. Whatever positives the Royals took from their win against Delhi Capitals, they were replaced with a dose of reality check dealt by CSK, who trumped them by 45 runs.
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Having finished at the bottom of the pile last year, back-to-back wooden spoon finishes is not something they'd like the idea of, and in order to make sure it doesn't happen again, RR will need to make sure they get their campaign back on track and do whatever it takes to get on a winning momentum. Their next opponents are the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the only team unbeaten in IPL 2021 and one that has won three back-to-back matches, for which they are likely to include the following XI.
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1 Jos Buttler: With Ben Stokes already out of the tournament, the Royals have received a major jolt. But with another Englishman in Jos Buttler stepping up and playing a promising knock of 49 is just what the side needs at the top of the order. Expect Buttler to retain his place in the side, albeit open the innings for them with a different partner.
{{/usCountry}}1 Jos Buttler: With Ben Stokes already out of the tournament, the Royals have received a major jolt. But with another Englishman in Jos Buttler stepping up and playing a promising knock of 49 is just what the side needs at the top of the order. Expect Buttler to retain his place in the side, albeit open the innings for them with a different partner.
{{/usCountry}}2 Yashasvi Jaiswal: Star of India's 2020 Under-19 World Cup campaign, Yashasvi Jaiswal is surprisingly yet to get a game for the Royals. However, with Manan Vohra managing scores of 12, 9 and 14, the batsman from Punjab may have exhausted his chances. About time, the team management replaced Vohra with young blood and gave him an extended run at the top.
3 Sanju Samson (Capt/WK): Once again, Sanju Samson started the tournament with a bang but followed it with a whimper in the last two matches, scoring 4 and 1. So much has been spoken of Samson's need to get big scores more consistently, and if the RR captain does not want to be left playing catch up, it's time he gets a big one against the top side in the tournament so far.
4 Shivam Dube: the young Shivam Dube has scored 23, 2 and 17 in three matches so far, and while they may be average numbers for any other player, the young left-handed batsman is something special and is likely to hang on to his place for at least another game in the middle order.
5 David Miller: In 2014, playing for Punjab Kings, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell set the IPL on fire. Seven seasons later, both are playing for different franchises and while Maxwell has proven why he is called The Big Show, the South Africa batsman too displayed similar shades against the Delhi Capitals. Big-hitting Miller could be RR's key in the middle order in the absence of Stokes.
6 Rahul Tewatia: Tewatia looked in good nick against CSK, scoring 20 off 15 hitting two sixes during his short stay. RR could gamble on Tewatia batting one spot high at No. 6, which creates room for an experienced bowling allrounder at No. 7
7 Shreyas Gopal: Riyan Parag is a highly talented cricketer, but RR might as well try replacing him with the experienced Shreyas Gopal. With a terrific strike rate in T20s, Gopal is the odea contender to score some quick runs, and his knack of breaking crucial partnerships is nothing new.
8 Chris Morris: The most expensive cricketer in the history of the IPL bowled decently in the last over, claiming 2/33, but was dismissed for a nought with the bat. A big innings is just around the corner for the all-rounder.
9 Jaydev Unadkat: He may have gone wicketless in four overs and given away 40 runs, but one bad match doesn't erase the fact that Unadkat is one of India's best in the death overs. Last year, AB de Villiers took him out of the attack and the next few matches and the left-arm pacer would be eager to go one up over RCB.
10 Chetan Sakariya: More than posting an inspirational status message about MS Dhoni, Chetan Sakariya impressed with his bowling against CSK, picking up 3/36 and being the best bowler on show. The youngster continues to show promise and RR would expect him to keep his rise intact.
11. Andrew Tye: RR could shake things up a little bringing Andrew Tye in place of Mustafizur Rahman, who, honestly speaking has shown improvement in the last two matches. However, in the past, Andrew Tye has been known to bowl brilliantly in the death and that is something RR would surely fancy against one of the best batting sides in the IPL.