Rajasthan Royals Cricket Team Guide
One of the founding members of the Indian Premier League back in 2008, the Rajasthan Royals are based in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan in the north west of the country.
Rajasthan Royals Cricket Team Background
As we mentioned, the Rajasthan Royals were one of the first franchises in the IPL, being amongst 8 other teams to form the competition. Throughout the years, the team has been renowned for unearthing rather obscure players who have gone on to showcase their high potential. The team was actually suspended alongside the Punjab Kings for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the IPL due to a betting scandal that dated back to 2013.
Where Do The Rajasthan Royals Play?
The home ground of the Rajasthan Royals is the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with this being able to house 30,000 spectators. This ground has also had its fair share of international matches as well, with the India cricket team playing a number of matches here over the years.
Rajasthan Royals Players
A number of Rajasthan Royals players who have been most notable for the side have actually been homegrown talents. Some of the biggest and most prolific names include Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuzvendra Chahal and Yusuf Pathan.
Some of the most standout players to take to the field for the Rajasthan Royals though come from overseas, with England cricket team star Jos Buttler, Australia cricket team players Shane Watson, Steven Smith and Brad Hodge, as well as Trent Boult from New Zealand all representing the side.
Memorable Games For The Rajasthan Royals Cricket Team
The inaugural 2008 season of the IPL will arguably be the most memorable for the Rajasthan Royals. After all games had been played, the side sat top of the league standings before going into the playoffs. However, going into the year, they were actually regarded as the weakest side, seemingly asserting these opinions with an opening loss to the Delhi Capitals, referred to as the Dehli Daredevils at that time.
Fluctuating performances followed before 5 straight victories were picked up, being the first side to book their place in the competitions semi finals following a dominant 65 run win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the final, the Chennai Super Kings would be defeated by 3 wickets as the Rajasthan Royals claimed the first ever IPL title. The late and great Shane Warne captained the side throughout all of this, with him taking home the individual accolade of ‘Man of the Series’.
Rivals Of The Rajasthan Royals Cricket Team
The rivalry between the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians is one of the biggest rivalries in Indian franchise cricket, with these teams having a number of fierce clashes on the pitch over the years. Due to their proximity as well, the Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans may also be considered rivals.
