IPL 2020: Areas of improvement for all 8 franchises

4. Rajasthan Royals:

Squad- Steve Smith(c), Varun Aaron, Akash Singh, Anuj Rawat, Jofra Archer, Jos Butler, Tom Curran, Shreyas Gopal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aniruddha Joshi, Kartik Tyagi, Mahipal Lomror, Mayank Markande, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Ankit Rajpoot, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Robin Uthappa, Manan Vohra

The major issue for the Rajasthan Royals in the recent past has been their over-reliance on their foreign core in the IPL. To win tournaments, it is a must for the Indian players to step up in times of crisis. Veterans like Robin Uthappa haven’t been in the best of form in recent times, and they would be looking to mend ways. The possible absence of Ben Stokes might also severely harm their chances this year. 

Another cause of concern is their pace attack. Apart from the fiery Jofra Archer, there is no one that strikes fear in the minds of the opponent. Varun Aaron and Ankit Rajpoot are the Indian pacers, who haven’t exactly lived up to their talent and expectations. Tom Curran could prove to be a handy pacer, but it remains to be seen how he performs in crunch games.

They also lack finishers and proper all-rounders. Gopal has proved himself as the leader of the spin attack, but hasn’t shown his worth as a batsman who can finish games effectively. Rajasthan might face issues in accommodating a reliable finisher in the lower middle-order. Someone like a Riyan Parag might have to bat out of his natural position for the sake of the team’s comfort.