Top 5 players that RR could target in IPL Auctions 2024

Rajasthan Royals had a hot and cold season in the IPL last year and came close to getting a spot in the playoffs as they finished at the 5th spot in the points table. The franchise that won the inaugural season of the prestigious tournament under the leadership of Shane Warne, would like to get its name on the trophy once again under the leadership of Sanju Samson.

The Royals have a strong core of players, with the likes of Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Joss Butler, and Trent Boult, and would make their strategies around these players. But still, they have some glaring holes in their team that they would like to fill in like a good lower-order finisher and a good all-rounder.

But the issue with them is that they don’t have much amount left in their purse as they have already spent 85.5 crores on retaining the current players and have only 14.5 crores left with them to get some good all-rounders and lower-order batters in their team.

The RR squad currently comprises 17 players, with five of them being overseas players. This implies a room for an additional eight players, including three from overseas.

Rajasthan Royals retained players: Sanju Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan (Traded from LSG), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore, Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira.

Let’s see what are the remaining players which RR can target in this year’s mini-auction to make a strong team for the IPL 2024.

1. Shardul Thakur

Indian all-rounders are hard to find and Rajasthan Royals will target for Shardul Thakur as he has a knack for taking wickets and breaking partnerships at crucial junctures of the match. Also, he has ample experience playing international cricket for India and was recently in the Indian ODI World Cup squad that reached the finals. Thakur can hit a long ball in the lower order and would allow RR to play their other foreign bets in the specialist roles.

2. David Willey

David Willey is another all-rounder that RR would go for. Willey played well in the recently concluded ODI World Cup for England and also took 3 wickets against India at Lucknow. Willey has now retired from international and will be available to play for a full season for any IPL franchise. So, given the purse constraint that RR has David Willey is one all-rounder that they could get at an economical price.

3. Shahrukh Khan

An Indian hard-hitting lower-order batter is one skill that is also a rarity in India and one such player is Shahrukh Khan who was recently released by the Punjab Kings. He is someone who RR could go to as Riyan Parag has not been able to fulfil that role in the team for quite some time now. Shahrukh Khan will provide them with the late-order impetus that they need and having him will also release pressure from the top-order batter and will allow them to play even more freely.

4. Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins, with his remarkable T20 statistics, is consistently among the most sought-after cricketers globally. His fierce bowling and impactful lower-order batting have contributed to his impressive tally of 45 wickets and 379 runs in 42 IPL matches. He has primarily represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with a brief stint at Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2017. Cummins also played a pivotal role in Australia's triumphant 2021 T20 World Cup campaign.

5. Micheal Bracewell

Given how well Michael Bracewell has fared for New Zealand across formats in recent times, it is safe to say that he will be a really good pick for RR. He is a gun batter in the middle order and a handy left-arm spinner. He almost pulled off a heist with his outstanding 140-run knock in the first ODI against India in Hyderabad which brought him into the limelight.