5 greatest players to play for Rajasthan Royals Ajinkya Rahane

No one knew what to expect from the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> 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.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/rr-rajasthan-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Royals</a> 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.
<h3>5. Sanju Samson</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056149915_sanju-samson.jpeg" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
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Current Rajasthan Royals captain <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sanju-samson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanju Samson</a> 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.
<h3>4. Jos Buttler</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056155441_Jos-Buttler.jpeg" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
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<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/jos-buttler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jos Buttler</a> sounds synonymous with Rajasthan Royals. He joined the franchise in IPL 2018 for only INR 4.40 crore. It was a blockbuster signing for the franchise, given what the keeper-batter went on to achieve with Rajasthan. In the first four seasons, the England international scored 1441 runs in just 41 games and given his batting prowess, the franchise retained him ahead of the 2022 mega-auction for INR 10 crore.
The 34-year-old wreaked havoc with the bat in the 2022 season. He smashed 863 runs in 17 matches and took the team to the summit clash, almost single-handedly. He hit four centuries that season and at one point, it looked like the cricketer would break Virat Kohli’s record of most runs in a season but that didn’t happen in the end.
In the last couple of seasons, Buttler scored 392 and 359 runs respectively. Given his contribution to the team and his legacy, Rajasthan was expected to retain him for the 2025 season but interestingly, they have released him. There’s a chance that the franchise will bid for him in the auction but will they? However, nothing can change the fact that he will always be remembered for his legendary performances for the inaugural champions.
<h3>3. Ajinkya Rahane</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056048955_Ajinkya-Rahane.jpeg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-91421" data-gramm="false">Ajinkya Rahane. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
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<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ajinkya-rahane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ajinkya Rahane</a> has played for six franchises in the Indian Premier League history. However, his contribution to Rajasthan Royals will always be legendary. During a time, when the franchise was struggling heavily, Rahane was their go-to player and the former captain bailed them out of trouble on several occasions. He initially joined the team in 2011 and played till 2015 and then again made a return in 2018 and played for two more seasons.
Overall, Rahane played 100 matches for Rajasthan and has scored 2810 runs. He is the second-most capped player for the franchise after Samson. The 36-year-old had his best season with the bat in 2012 when he made 560 runs in the season, at a strike rate of 129.33.&nbsp;
As a captain, Rahane had a very rough time. He led the team on 24 occasions, but won only nine and lost 15. Last year, the India international was part of Chennai Super Kings and will be available in the upcoming mega-auction.
<h3>2. Shane Watson</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056144318_watson.jpeg" alt="Shane Watson." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-718277" data-gramm="false">Shane Watson. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
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Former Australia international <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shane-watson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Watson</a> was bought for INR 4 crore by Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 IPL auction. He was phenomenal in the season, scoring 472 runs in 15 games and also picked up 17 wickets at an economy rate of 7.07. The 43-year-old played a vital part in helping RR win the title in the inaugural season and was also named the Most Valuable Player that season.
Watson went on to play seven seasons for Rajasthan. Overall, he has played 78 games for the franchise and scored 2347 runs and also picked up 84 wickets. He played a crucial role in the team qualifying for the playoffs in the 2013 and 2015 seasons and left the team during the infamous match-fixing controversy.
After leaving Rajasthan, he played a couple of seasons for Royal Challenges Bengaluru and then three years at Chennai Super Kings. He is considered to be a legend of IPL and definitely one of the greatest players to play for Rajasthan.
<h3>1. Shane Warne</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056138062_Shane-Warn.jpeg" alt="Shane Warne." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-564723" data-gramm="false">Shane Warne. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the greatest Australia cricketers, if not the greatest, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shane-warne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Warne</a> was the first cricketer that Rajasthan Royals signed. He was bought in the IPL mega-auction for US$ 4 million and was appointed as the captain and the bowling coach of the team. Under Warne’s leadership, Rajasthan won the championship in 2008 itself, and the captain contributed with 19 wickets in 15 games.
He played for the franchise for four seasons, picking up 57 wickets in 55 games at an economy rate of 7.27. After that, he announced his retirement and worked as a commentator in the IPL and was always spotted supporting the franchise and also guided spinners such as Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav among others.
Sadly, the leg-spinner passed away in March 2022. Since then, Rajasthan always paid tribute to him during the course of the season and plenty of social media posts on his birthday. The hashtag #FirstRoyal is a common thing one can see on their social platforms.

No one knew what to expect from the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> 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.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/rr-rajasthan-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajasthan Royals</a> 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.
<h3>5. Sanju Samson</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056149915_sanju-samson.jpeg" loading="lazy">
<figcaption></figcaption>
</figure>
Current Rajasthan Royals captain <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sanju-samson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanju Samson</a> 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.
<h3>4. Jos Buttler</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056155441_Jos-Buttler.jpeg" loading="lazy">
<figcaption></figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/jos-buttler/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jos Buttler</a> sounds synonymous with Rajasthan Royals. He joined the franchise in IPL 2018 for only INR 4.40 crore. It was a blockbuster signing for the franchise, given what the keeper-batter went on to achieve with Rajasthan. In the first four seasons, the England international scored 1441 runs in just 41 games and given his batting prowess, the franchise retained him ahead of the 2022 mega-auction for INR 10 crore.
The 34-year-old wreaked havoc with the bat in the 2022 season. He smashed 863 runs in 17 matches and took the team to the summit clash, almost single-handedly. He hit four centuries that season and at one point, it looked like the cricketer would break Virat Kohli’s record of most runs in a season but that didn’t happen in the end.
In the last couple of seasons, Buttler scored 392 and 359 runs respectively. Given his contribution to the team and his legacy, Rajasthan was expected to retain him for the 2025 season but interestingly, they have released him. There’s a chance that the franchise will bid for him in the auction but will they? However, nothing can change the fact that he will always be remembered for his legendary performances for the inaugural champions.
<h3>3. Ajinkya Rahane</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056048955_Ajinkya-Rahane.jpeg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" loading="lazy"><canvas class="lt-highlighter__canvas" width="58" height="20" style="display: none; top: 1px !important; left: 251px !important;"></canvas>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-91421" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Ajinkya Rahane. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ajinkya-rahane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ajinkya Rahane</a> has played for six franchises in the Indian Premier League history. However, his contribution to Rajasthan Royals will always be legendary. During a time, when the franchise was struggling heavily, Rahane was their go-to player and the former captain bailed them out of trouble on several occasions. He initially joined the team in 2011 and played till 2015 and then again made a return in 2018 and played for two more seasons.
Overall, Rahane played 100 matches for Rajasthan and has scored 2810 runs. He is the second-most capped player for the franchise after Samson. The 36-year-old had his best season with the bat in 2012 when he made 560 runs in the season, at a strike rate of 129.33.&nbsp;
As a captain, Rahane had a very rough time. He led the team on 24 occasions, but won only nine and lost 15. Last year, the India international was part of Chennai Super Kings and will be available in the upcoming mega-auction.
<h3>2. Shane Watson</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056144318_watson.jpeg" alt="Shane Watson." loading="lazy"><lt-highlighter contenteditable="false" data-lt-linked="1" style="display: none;"><lt-div spellcheck="false" class="lt-highlighter__wrapper" style="width: 640px !important; height: 22.3843px !important; transform: none !important; transform-origin: 320px 11.1921px !important; zoom: 1 !important; margin-top: 410.081px !important;"><lt-div class="lt-highlighter__scroll-element" style="top: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; width: 640px !important; height: 22px !important;"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-highlighter>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-718277" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Shane Watson. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
Former Australia international <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shane-watson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Watson</a> was bought for INR 4 crore by Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 IPL auction. He was phenomenal in the season, scoring 472 runs in 15 games and also picked up 17 wickets at an economy rate of 7.07. The 43-year-old played a vital part in helping RR win the title in the inaugural season and was also named the Most Valuable Player that season.
Watson went on to play seven seasons for Rajasthan. Overall, he has played 78 games for the franchise and scored 2347 runs and also picked up 84 wickets. He played a crucial role in the team qualifying for the playoffs in the 2013 and 2015 seasons and left the team during the infamous match-fixing controversy.
After leaving Rajasthan, he played a couple of seasons for Royal Challenges Bengaluru and then three years at Chennai Super Kings. He is considered to be a legend of IPL and definitely one of the greatest players to play for Rajasthan.
<h3>1. Shane Warne</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1731056138062_Shane-Warn.jpeg" alt="Shane Warne." loading="lazy"><lt-highlighter contenteditable="false" data-lt-linked="1" style="display: none;"><lt-div spellcheck="false" class="lt-highlighter__wrapper" style="width: 640px !important; height: 22.3843px !important; transform: none !important; transform-origin: 320px 11.1921px !important; zoom: 1 !important; margin-top: 410.081px !important;"><lt-div class="lt-highlighter__scroll-element" style="top: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; width: 640px !important; height: 22px !important;"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-highlighter>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-564723" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Shane Warne. (Source:X/Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the greatest Australia cricketers, if not the greatest, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shane-warne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shane Warne</a> was the first cricketer that Rajasthan Royals signed. He was bought in the IPL mega-auction for US$ 4 million and was appointed as the captain and the bowling coach of the team. Under Warne’s leadership, Rajasthan won the championship in 2008 itself, and the captain contributed with 19 wickets in 15 games.
He played for the franchise for four seasons, picking up 57 wickets in 55 games at an economy rate of 7.27. After that, he announced his retirement and worked as a commentator in the IPL and was always spotted supporting the franchise and also guided spinners such as Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav among others.
Sadly, the leg-spinner passed away in March 2022. Since then, Rajasthan always paid tribute to him during the course of the season and plenty of social media posts on his birthday. The hashtag #FirstRoyal is a common thing one can see on their social platforms.

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, p

5 Greatest Rajasthan Royals players in IPL history

Rajasthan Royals qualified for the final twice, winning in 2008.

Rajasthan Royals' greatest players: Check out the list of the top five players to play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL history, only on CricTracker.com