With their highly disputed history and high-performing players, Rajasthan Royals have always been a trending team when it comes to IPL season. Known for Their budget-conscious bidding but emerging as top performers. Their strategies have baffled many. Rajasthan royals (RR)’ journey has been quite turbulent as controversial affairs often surround them. During the inaugural year, i.e. 2008, players of Rajasthan royals like Shane Warne attracted popularity to the team with excellent captaincy.
| Captain | Sanju Samson |
| Coach | Kumar Sangakkara |
| Home Ground | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| IPL Titles | 1(2008) |
| Owners | The Royals Sports Group |
Rajasthan Royals IPL 2024 Squad
RR IPL 2024 Matches
| Date | Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24th March | 3:30 PM | RR vs LSG | Jaipur |
| 28th March | 7:30 PM | RR vs DC | Jaipur |
| 1st April | 7:30 PM | MI vs RR | Mumbai |
| 6th April | 7:30 PM | RR vs RCB | Jaipur |
| 10th April | 7:30 PM | RR vs GT | Jaipur |
| 13th April | 7:30 PM | PBKS vs RR | Mullanpur |
| 17th April | 7:30 PM | KKR vs RR | Kolkata |
| 22nd April | 7:30 PM | RR vs MI | Jaipur |
| 27th April | 7:30 PM | LSG vs RR | Lucknow |
| 2nd May | 7:30 PM | SRH vs RR | Hyderabad |
| 7th May | 7:30 PM | DC vs RR | Delhi |
| 12th May | 3:30 PM | CSK vs RR | Chennai |
| 15th May | 7:30 PM | RR vs PBKS | Guwahati |
| 19th May | 7:30 PM | RR vs KKR | Guwahati |
Journey of Rajasthan Royals in IPL
It emerged as a low-cost team on their first play in 2008. The RR team has been in controversy off the field. The most famous courtroom trial of the Rajasthan royal has gained the attention of many due to their ownership conflicts. BCCI made up its mind to expel Rajasthan royals in 2010, but the RR team repelled the decision and filed their appeal in the Mumbai High Court. BCCI later decided to not drag the case with Rajasthan Royal and Chennai Super Kings any longer. This sorted the case with the two teams. But that’s not the end of RR teams controversies.
In 2013 Rajasthan Royals got into the news for players beset with controversy of foul play. The team proved to be a low performer initially a few years later and later got banned after 2015. Rajasthan was caught bidding against the rules proposed by BCCI, causing them a ban for 2 years. Later in 2018 Rajasthan team made a steady comeback to the field with their high-performing players. Some of the top performers of Rajasthan royals earned a good reputation with stunning on-field performances. Yusuf Pathan and Shane Watson played excellent innings in 2008 and onwards, and Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Ajinkya Rahane emerged as top players of the RR team.
The Highs
Rajasthan Royals team is best known for their clean play and high-performing year in 2008. Their major motto was to attract young potential players to the IPL. Rajasthan royals have played around 200+ matches throughout their journey and won 103 matches. Rajasthan has won a maximum number of matches against Kings XI Punjab, also their controversial rivals. After that RR team won a maximum match against Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.
The Lows
Rajasthan Royals has been surrounded by many lows throughout their IPL journey. The most notified controversy of Rajasthan royals was in 2013 when three players of the team were arrested for foul play and fixing going against the BCCI rules. These were Sreesanth, Ankeet, and Ajay Chandila. Later the team was banned by BCI in 2015 and Raj Kundra for a lifetime. Royal challengers failed in playoffs and finished as 2nd last team in the 2021 tournament.
Seasons by Season performance of Rajasthan Royals
IPL 2023- 5th Position
After the great performance in 2022, the team fans had better expectations from RR. The team ended in the fifth spot and lost the race to win the tournament once again.
IPL 2022- Runner up
Jos Butler gained popularity this season with his exponential performance along with that he earned the MVP award. The RR managed to beat the tough opponents and gained a spot as runner-up.
IPL 2021- 7th Position
2021 wasn’t any good season for Rajasthan, this year wasn’t quite similar to the last one. The team did not play as expected. Archer and Ben Stokes scored well individually, but the RR team failed to earn a good spot.
IPL 2020- 8th Position
Rajasthan tried new strategies by buying new players such as Mayank, Ankit Rajpoot, and Rahul Tewatia. But the team didn’t perform as expected. Steve Smith led the team this year by winning a few initial matches in 2020, but their spirit died later, and there was very little to appreciate about Rajasthan.
IPL 2019- 7th Position
Starting from the 2019 IPL season there were baffling views about Raheny taking up captaincy. RR team was backlashed with 5 continuous losses in the 2019 tournament. Shreyas Gopal and Archer kept the team spirits up with their exponential performance. The team ended up in the Seventh spot in 2019.
IPL 2018- 4th Position
Rajasthan Royals (RR) came back to the field with Steve Smith as their captain for that IPL season. But due to unfavorable circumstances, Smith stepped down from the captaincy and Ajinkya Rahane got the charge. Under Ajinkya Rahane the team secured the 4th spot in 2018 with a surprising game play.
IPL 2015- 4th Position
Rajasthan pleased their fans with their good and steady start in this series. Rajasthan lost their growth and momentum in the middle of the tournament. This was quite a troublesome year for Rajasthan due to their off-field controversies as well. Despite these challenges, the team grabbed the 4th spot. Rajasthan lost to Bangalore in the elimination round losing the chance to win.
IPL 2014- 5th Position
This year wasn’t very promising for Rajasthan. Ajinkya Rahane proved to be the top scorer for RR in 2014 with his dedicated and aggressive performance. The team wasn’t able to qualify for the Champions League T20. Players couldn’t make it to the top spot this year.
IPL 2013- 3rd Position
2013 was a booming season after 2008’s win for Rajasthan. The players were in-form for a moment this year and kicked off many teams to secure a place in the playoffs. RR won massively against the Sunrisers but they got defeated by Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier round. Shane Watson was the wizard player for Rajasthan Royals in 2013 earning the title of Man of the tournament.
IPL 2012- 7th Position
Ajinkya Rahane proved to be a master player for Rajasthan Royals but the team couldn’t make it to the winning race this year as well. This season was another gloomy year for the RR team. The team managed to score 560 runs in a total of 16 matches in the tournament. The team ranked seventh this year, one rank lower than the previous one.
IPL 2011- 6th position
2011 was one of the turbulent years for RR due to disputes with the owners of Rajasthan and Punjab. This year was their last captaincy under Shane Warne, they started off well with few wins. RR managed to get Shaun Tait on the field but the team had to face upcoming defeats by Kolkata Knight riders. Rajasthan could only manage to win 6 out of 14 matches leading them to again lowest position in the series.
IPL 2010- 7th Position
Rajasthan’s astonishing start in Mumbai stadium was showcased by Yusuf Pathan but the team lost the match by 4 runs. The team lost the next matches to Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore by huge wicket numbers. This was the most disposable loss of Rajasthan in 2010.
IPL 2009- 6th Position
In 2009 IPL season RR came to be known as the best defending champion of the series with their excellent defending strategies. This year wasn’t as promising as the team thought. Rajasthan lost their opening match and came out with the lowest total of that evening. The opponents were well-prepared this year.
IPL 2008- Champions
Rajasthan Royals was the most Underrated team of 2008 but emerged as the biggest player shutting everyone’s mouth. The RR team won their first home game in Jaipur against Kings XI Punjab. Their star players Shane Warne, Shane Watson, and Yusuf Pathan played excellently. Each team member won medals during the tournament. The RR team won a whooping 1.2 million $ award as champions of the tournament. Rajasthan royals took the trophy with them in the very first IPL tournament with great pride.
| Season | Performance |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 5th Position |
| 2022 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | 7th Position |
| 2020 | 8th Position |
| 2019 | 7th Position |
| 2018 | 4th Position |
| 2015 | 4th Position |
| 2014 | 5th Position |
| 2013 | 3rd Position |
| 2012 | 7th Position |
| 2011 | 6th Position |
| 2010 | 7th Position |
| 2009 | 6th Position |
| 2008 | Champions |
Top 5 Run Scorers for Rajasthan Royals
- Sanju Samson: 3403 Runs in 130 Matches
- Ajinkya Rahane: 3098 Runs in 106 Matches
- Jos Buttler: 2696 Runs in 72 Matches
- Shane Watson: 2474 Runs in 84 Matches
- Rahul Dravid: 1324 Runs in 52 Matches
Top 5 wicket takers for Rajasthan Royals
- Shane Watson: 67 wickets in 84 Matches
- Siddharth Trivedi: 65 wickets in 76 Matches
- Shane Warne: 58 wickets in 56 Matches
- James Faulkner: 53 wickets in 48 Matches
- Yuzvendra Chahal: 48 wickets in 31 Matches
