Chahal and Ashwin's signing has given Rajasthan a belief that they can win IPL 2022: Niall O’Brien

Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural IPL champions, impressed everyone with their performance in the first game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They had a very good run at the mega auction as they managed to create a strong and destructive team. With the likes of Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, and Jos Buttler in the top order, they also possess a very strong middle and lower order.

One would not be able to pick out any errors in their team formation. Every player contributes, every player performs and the team is built very strong with a combination of power-hitters, wicket-takers, and subtle players. Looking at them play in their first game, there is a hope that the Royals will score big in as many matches as possible.

Rajasthan roped in big names during the auction, making their team even stronger

Niall O’Brien, the Irish cricketer, feels that RR has built up a very strong team this year. “It looks like a settled environment, and everyone looks happy at the camp. There is a lot of elegance in the top three or four in their line-up. And then from five-six onwards, they have got the power. So if [Jos] Buttler and Sanju [Samson] can set them up, they have got a really strong batting line-up throughout the order”, said O’Brien on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket Show’ on CricTracker.

“Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin’s signing in the auction has given Rajasthan the belief that they can win this tournament. I love the fact that Chahal is there – he is a bit of a bowler and a competitor. It is a pretty strong team,” Niall added.

The two teams have had a cut-throat competition in the IPL. Of the 25 matches that they have played against each other, MI have won 13, and RR are not much behind as they have defeated MI 11 times. There are high chances of RR levelling the game this year, looking at their squad and the ongoing form in the game.