SWOT Analysis of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2024 season

The Indian Premier League(IPL) 2024 auction has led to some interesting changes in the teams. We have seen a lot of trading and a lot of new additions which will be interesting to see going into this tournament. Some teams have had success for several years and some teams have yet to get their hands on the trophy, but there is one team which does not make any of these categories and has been part of this league for 14 years. The team is the Rajasthan Royals(RR) who are known as the inaugural champions of IPL since the last time they won the title was in 2008. This was the year the IPL was introduced and the Royals on paper looked like an underdog side led and coached by the great Shane Warne.

After winning the first edition filled with young inexperienced players and players who were out of their depth and going against anyone's expectations, the franchise is yet to achieve the same feat. They still made the playoffs four times after 2008, but could only manage 2 fourth places, 1 third-place and 1 final. This has still made them one of the most loved underdogs in the league with fans hoping they could win their second title. With Sanju Samson once again leading the side, he will be hoping to finally come back and beat the odds and win the trophy that has been eluding them for years.

The previous edition saw the Royals coming into the league with immense confidence after being runner-up in the 2022 season. The first 7 games in 2023 saw them as favourites once again as they won 5 of their 7 games. It seemed like RR were surely going into the playoffs once again, but unfortunately, the second half did not go their way. The last 7 games saw them lose 4 games and win 3 which ended up being a 5th place finish for them knocking them out of the playoffs. They will be hoping that title can finally come into their grasp this upcoming season.

SWOT Analysis of RR

Strength- Powerful batting lineup and a perfect mix of bowling options

There is no doubt about how great the batting lineup RR has with the likes of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Yashasavi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer. These batters are not only capable of playing the big hits, but they can play the big innings as the game progresses and are one of the best batters in T20s as well. Speaking about the bowling, the addition of Avesh Khan and Nandre Burger has added to a complete bowling attack that also includes Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult and Adam Zampa. Variety in both spin and pace departments will make them a side to watch out for in the future.

Weakness- limited all-rounder options

Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin and Riyan Parag, there are not a lot of players in the RR side that can perform with both bat and ball. There are some additions in the form of Rovman Powell who can roll their arm and they do have the likes of Shubam Dubey, but they are not as lethal in both departments as the other all-rounders you will see in the tournament. This will be a challenge which will be faced by the Royals since the lack of all-rounders can affect the depth of the team as well.

Opportunities- Young talent to come back stronger this season

Like always there are a lot of young and explosive players in the RR squad with the likes of Riyan Parag, who has had an exceptional domestic season and Dhruv Jurel, who was one of the best impact players last season. These players will look to come back and play their best game and secure their future. The likes of Nandre Burger who was impressive in the series vs India and Kuldeep Sen will want to display his fiery pace once again. Overall these are a great set of talented youngsters who can surprise you when you least expect it.

Threats- Out-of-form players will be under tremendous pressure

There is no question that there are some great players in this squad, but if we look at the recent form of some of the players who have been struggling recently. Jos Buttler is no doubt one of the most dangerous batters in T20 cricket, but his recent form has been underwhelming according to his standards. Chahal might be the highest wicket-taker in IPL right now, but he has not played a lot of cricket going into the tournament. Even Prasidh Krishna has not been having the best of days as he has struggled in his last two T20 series. They might be great players, but they will still be under pressure knowing that their recent form hasn’t been the best.