IPL 2022: Predicting first-choice overseas players of Rajasthan Royals

The IPL 2022 is about to get underway in just a few weeks and the excitement over the ten-team tournament has been immense already. The franchises are expected to start training by the 14th of March and they will have to head into the bio bubble after that. The mega auction saw 204 players going sold between ten teams and Rajasthan Royals did a decent job.

Rajasthan had retained Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of the mega auction and the franchise was expected to spend a lot for the overseas buys considering their previous auctions. Instead, the franchise went for some Indian talent in the form of Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini alongside bagging the spin duo of Ravi Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.

The only place they had to fill was the No. 7 role, and towards the end of the auction at the last stages, the Royals brought a lot of overseas players for their base prices and it did make their side look a more formidable one than before. They have a mix of youth and experienced contingent in the lineup and it is time to predict the starting four players of Rajasthan Royals.

Predicting Rajasthan Royals (RR) starting four overseas players:

1. Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler is going to be the first choice overseas player in the XI with his match-winning abilities and he can tear apart any bowling attack right from the outset. The right-hander can play shots all around the ground and is one of the few 360-degree batters going around at the moment.

Buttler brought up his IPL century in the previous IPL season and he has been a revelation for the side ever since moving to the top of the order since 2018. He can win games on his own and can have a massive impact on any franchise’s success. The England opener can also don the wicketkeeper gloves if needed.

The 31-year-old has played 65 IPL games so far and has scored 1968 runs at an average of 35.1 at an extraordinary strike rate of 150. He is expected to be the trump card for the Rajasthan Royals this season and will have a big role to play at the top of the order alongside the youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal.

2. Shimron Hetmyer

West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer was picked up for a whopping INR 8.5 crore in the mega auction and he will be in the playing XI considering the amount of money spent on him. The left-hander was given a different role in the previous edition of IPL by the Delhi Capitals to play the finisher role and he repaid the faith.

Hetmyer is strong against the spinners and can give it a big whack once he gets settled in the crease. The 25-year-old had a fantastic IPL last around scoring 242 runs in 14 games at an average of 34.57 and a strike rate of 168.05. He can play at numbers five and six according to the need of the hour and is likely to fit into the middle order.

The youngster has had fitness issues of late and has not been picked up in the West Indies limited-overs squad despite making an impact whenever he gets an opportunity. He can strike those lusty blows towards the back end of the innings and unless he has fitness issues, he is a certainty in the side.

3. James Neesham

James Neesham was a last-minute pick for the Rajasthan Royals after they were missing out on a No. 7 in the playing XI and they went in with the New Zealander for just his base price of INR 1.5 crore. Neesham was part of the Mumbai Indians set up last year and he played just a few games towards the end of the season.

The 31-year-old played an important role for his country in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2021 and he can be very handy with the ball in the death overs. The left-hander provides the right balance for the Rajasthan Royals side as they hardly bat after R Ashwin in the playing XI.

Neesham is expected to face competition from the likes of his countrymate Daryl Mitchell who can play the same role while Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile might also be an option. Neesham hasn’t yet found success in IPL despite making his debut in the tournament way back in 2014 and this year might just change the fortunes for him.

4. Trent Boult

Trent Boult was one of the best buys from the Rajasthan Royals in the mega auction given his experience and abilities. The Royals faced stiff competition from the likes of Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore while picking up the speedster and finally managed to land him in the mega auction for a price of INR 8 crore.

The left-arm seamer had a terrific IPL 2020 where he was among the top wicket-takers and helped his side Mumbai Indians to the title as well. The New Zealand seamer can be very effective with the new ball and will form a potent combination alongside Prasidh Krishna who had raw pace and was relatively inexperienced still.

Boult has 76 wickets from 62 IPL games so far at an average of 26.1 and is always a wicket-taking option for the skipper. He is one of the fittest cricketers going around and it won’t be a surprise if he gets to play all the 14 league games for the Royals this season.

Other options: Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Obed McCoy