5 Greatest Rajasthan Royals players in IPL history

No one knew what to expect from the Indian Premier League when it started in 2008. Due to the T20 World Cup 2007, the fans had an idea of what to expect from the format but to see Indian cricketers, particularly uncapped players sharing a dressing room with foreign stars was extremely overwhelming. Some of the former cricketers and critics were very optimistic that it would turn out to be a flop show, but IPL now is competing with some of the greatest sporting events in the world.

Rajasthan Royals were the inaugural champions of the IPL. They were never considered the favourites, but the team managed to stay consistent and got the job done by beating Chennai Super Kings by three wickets at DY Patil Stadium. However, Rajasthan could never replicate the same success in the IPL again. In 2022, they qualified for the finals for the second time, but Gujarat Titans managed to clinch the title by seven wickets.

Meanwhile, even though Rajasthan have won the trophy only once and has been extremely inconsistent in the last decade, they have had some of the legendary cricketers in the squad, who have done well for the franchise. Courtesy of their efforts, Rajasthan have qualified for the play-offs on six occasions. On that note, here are Rajasthan’s five greatest players in IPL history.

5. Sanju Samson

Current Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson joined the franchise in 2013. He was there with the team for three seasons, scoring 749 runs in 38 matches. The franchise was banned in 2016 and 2017, during which Samson played for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and then returned to Rajasthan in 2018 for INR 8 crore.

Since then, Samson has been a very crucial part of the Rajasthan team and has led the team to the final in 2022. In the last seven seasons, the Kerala-born cricketer played 102 matches for the franchise and scored 2993 runs. He has been one of the most consistent players for the team and has been retained for INR 18 crore for IPL 2025.

Samson would now hope to bring the trophy back to Rajasthan. He has been backed tremendously by the management and will be leading the team in the upcoming IPL. As a player, he has done a commendable job and for the same, the keeper-batter has been called for the Indian team on several occasions, including being part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad in 2024.