Last Updated on 10 hours by Charbel Coorey
Cricket Opinion: 5 players Rajasthan Royals (RR) should look to buy in the IPL 2024 Auction | Players Rajasthan Royals should look to target
After reaching the final in 2022, Rajasthan Royals (RR) missed out on the playoffs in 2023. A lack of consistency in the performances, as well as their questionable use of the impact player substitute, are two key areas to fix in IPL 2024.
Also, which players could RR look to target in the upcoming auction? Jason Holder and Joe Root were two of their key releases, along with Abdul Basith, Akash Vashisht, Kuldip Yadav, Obed McCoy, M Ashwin, KC Cariappa, and KM Asif. With 14.5 crores to spend, the Royals need to be smart with their purchases to elevate their squad.
Current RR squad for IPL 2024: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan.
Remaining purse: 14.5 crore.
Key needs for 2024: Finisher at number seven, death-bowling.
5 players RR should look to target in the IPL 2024 Auction
Daryl Mitchell
Part of RR’s struggles last season was not being able to find a good position for Devdutt Padikkal. They tried batting him at four, but he struggled to provide that all-important impetus in the middle order.
Daryl Mitchell is an excellent spin-hitter and can add another dimension to the RR lineup. However, whether RR will be able to afford him with their limited purse remains to be seen. But, it’s certainly worth a try.
Shubham Dubey
Finishing in the number seven role is key, and RR need a value-for-money pick. The left-hander Shubham Dubey smashed 221 runs in seven matches in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) at an average of 73.66 and strike rate of 187.28.
While Dubey doesn’t bowl, RR can use him as an impact player substitute when the situation suits.
Shardul Thakur
RR need Indian seamers and Shardul Thakur could find a new lease of life at the Royals. Thakur’s hit-the-deck style of bowling could work nicely at Jaipur and he offers extra batting depth which could enable the top order players to bat with even greater freedom.
Pat Cummins
Alternatively, the Royals could go for Pat Cummins. The Australian captain grew in confidence as the ODI World Cup rolled on, delivering a magnificent performance in the final. His improvement at the death, plus his ability to bowl excellent slower balls into the wicket, can result in a good investment from the Royals.
Also, Cummins can offer very handy lower order runs, especially when the team needs them.
Chetan Sakariya
Kumar Sangakkara spoke highly of left-armer Chetan Sakariya before the IPL 2021 season. The Royals could look to bring him back to play an important role especially in the powerplay along with Trent Boult.
