Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural IPL winners, have suffered a huge blow ahead of IPL 2020 as their major Australian and English cricketers will probably skip the first week of the league. The likes of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler will definitely be a part of the series between Australia and England that will clash with IPL 2020.
However, the Rajasthan team management believes that it is good for their team because their players will have some match practice heading into IPL 2020. Jaydev Unadkat will lead the team in the first match and here’s how RR could line up without their top stars.
Openers – Manan Vohra and Yashasvi Jaiswal
In the absence of Jos Buttler, the uncapped Indian opening duo of Manan Vohra and Yashasvi Jaiswal would open the innings for Rajasthan Royals. The right hand-left hand combination of the Indian pair can destroy the opposition bowlers in powerplay overs.
Middle Order – Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson (wk), David Miller, and Riyan Parag
The Rajasthan Royals batting order will be very weak without Ben Stokes and Steve Smith, but the duo of Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson could be backed to shoulder that responsibility. David Miller can play the finisher’s role along with Riyan Parag, who had played a fantastic knock against Chennai Super Kings last year.
Lower Order – Rahul Tewatia and Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye has been out of the Australian team and he will probably not be a part of the final squad that tours England. So, the right-arm pace bowler will be available for RR. Rahul Tewatia was signed in the trade window by RR and the domestic star will be the team’s primary spin bowling all-rounder in this match.
Bowlers – Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat (c), and Kartik Tyagi
Rajasthan Royals will have the option of Oshane Thomas but they may not prefer to include him in the playing XI because Kartik Tyagi performed exceptionally well in the U-19 World Cup. Jaydev Unadkat will lead the team, while Shreyas Gopal would be picked ahead of Mayank Markande in the spin bowling department.
Featured image source: TOI
