Three captaincy replacement options available for Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals had a roller coaster ride in the IPL 2018. They started off poorly with a 9 wicket defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their comeback game in the IPL. They managed to win a couple of games after that defeat and then lost their plot horribly in the middle stage of the tournament. Towards the end of the season, they found their success mantra again and managed to make it to the playoffs.

Riding on the record breaking form of Jos Buttler, they set up their Eliminator date with the Kolkata Knight Riders. They lost the Eliminator to finish 4th in the tournament. The season was a decent one for them and Ajinkya Rahane did a fair job as the captain. He tried a lot of things to aid balance to the side but could not lift the title for his team.

Now, the Rajasthan Royals can actually think of relieving Rahane from his captaincy duties so that he can focus on his game a lot more. Also, the team can think of a captaincy change to bring more enthusiasm in the side as they take the field in IPL 2019. Here we pick three players who can be potential replacements of Ajinkya Rahane as the captain of the Royals camp next season.

Here are the three captaincy replacement options available for Rajasthan Royals:

1. Sanju Samson

Young batsman Sanju Samson has been a batting mainstay of the Rajasthan Royals over the years. Samson fared decently well in IPL 2018. He scored 441 runs in the 14 matches that he played in the tournament this year. He averaged over 30 with the bat. Had there not been a form slump in the mid stages of the season, the Royals could have finished a lot higher in the points table.

Samson’s best was on display in Bengaluru when he smashed an unbeaten 92 in the early days of IPL 2018. He has the calmness around him to lead the side. The Royals can think of him as a captaincy option for sure. Samson has taken this responsibility in the domestic cricket for Kerala and could pretty well succeed in the role for the Royals.

2. Steve Smith

The Rajasthan Royals, in all likelihood, would get back the services of Steve Smith next year. Smith was ruled out of IPL 2018 owing to his one year ban imposed by the Cricket Australia. He will be eligible to play in IPL 2019 and there seems to be absolutely no reason why he will not be considered to lead the side.

Barring the recent controversy, Smith has had an exceptional track record as a captain. His personal batting prowess needs no introduction either. In fact, it will not be wrong to quote that he will be the first choice captain for the Royals next season. Moreover, Smith will be determined to make an impact in the tournament to reinstate his claims at the highest level.

3. Jos Buttler

The fortunes of the Rajasthan Royals were on the downward slope in IPL 2018. The team management decided to promote Jos Buttler in the opening slot and the move paid rich dividends. Buttler scored five consecutive fifties in the season to equal the IPL record for most number of consecutive fifties in an edition of the tournament. Buttler’s sublime form was the chief architect of the Royals’ resurgence this year.

Buttler amassed 548 runs in 13 matches this season with a staggering average of 54.80. He hit five fifties including a top score of unbeaten 95. It will not be surprising to see the Royals consider him as a captaincy option either. Being a wicketkeeper, he will have a greater eye in the game to control the proceedings. Also, he might thrive under the captaincy pressure even more to deliver far better results for the Men in Blue.

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