5 options Rajasthan Royals (RR) have to trim down their squad to 24 players

IPL is a mega T20 tournament which not only produces some hidden gems of Indian cricket but also increases the revenue for BCCI. Following the postponement of the ICC T20 World Cup, BCCI decided to schedule the money-minting tournament from 19th September to 10th November to prevent loss of revenue. As India is still suffering from the effects of the ongoing pandemic, the matches are set to be played in UAE.

UAE, having hosted the IPL previously have also hosted MMA just a few weeks ago. One reason why they were able to host the MMA during the COVID 19 crisis is because they were able to setup a bio secure bubble for everyone involved. The franchises will be allowed to travel to the UAE with 24 players each. Only Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad have more than 24 players in their squad, meaning thereby that they will have to leave one of their players behind before leaving for the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals shocked the world by winning the inaugural season of the IPL after being termed as underdogs by cricket fans and analysts. They have had some memorable moments throughout their tourney but they haven’t come close to winning another title. They will again depend on their overseas players to power them to the playoffs this time around. Their English trio of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer will be key to their fortunes in the upcoming season.

Here, we will discuss 5 potential players who could be dropped from the Royals in order to trim the squad down to 24 players: –

1. Kartik Tyagi

Kartik Tyagi was a member of India U19 squad for the World Cup which took place earlier this year. Tyagi is a swing bowler from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. While cities like Mumbai and Delhi have been known for producing a lot of talented cricketers for India, Meerut has quietly churned out the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi and Karn Sharma.

A tall right-arm bowler who can nip the ball around at pace, Tyagi was almost a prodigy who wasn’t. He made his first-class debut in 2017, a month short of his 17th birthday, but was soon laid low by injury. A dedicated recovery regimen and a positive frame of mind meant he was back to bowling in time for the 2020 U19 World Cup, where, fitter and stronger, he emerged as one of the bowlers of the tournament.

With stirring pace and swing, the 19-year-old seamer has already impressed in the World Cup in South Africa, including tearing through the Australian middle-order in the quarter-finals. Due to his potential, Rajasthan Royals paid 1.3 crore INR for him in last year’s auction but the youngster might have to wait for his chance to come.