Rajasthan Royals were the winners of the first-ever season of the IPL in 2008, but since then, they have not been able to qualify for the final of the tournament even once and that’s because their batsmen have not consistently stepped up to the plate.
However, the Royals have some fantastic T20 batsmen in their current squad and they might turn out to be the dark horses in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Here are the 4 Rajasthan Royals batsmen you should pick in your fantasy XI –
#1 Robin Uthappa:
Robin Uthappa will perhaps be assigned the same sort of role at Rajasthan Royals that he was assigned at KKR. The veteran right-hander will bat at no. 3 and will try and play through the innings.
While Uthappa is a terrific ball striker himself, he is not a one dimensional player and he can easily play the second fiddle in a partnership if the other batsman is going at a high tempo.
Uthappa was very consistent batting in the top order for KKR and the Royals will expect the same sort of consistency from him in his debut season in pink jersey as well.
#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal
A lot of people will be keenly watching Yashasvi Jaiswal in IPL 2020 because of the kind of performances he has put on at the domestic and the U19 level in the last year and a half.
Although Jaiswal is only 18 years of age at the moment, he is likely to get regular playing opportunities at Rajasthan because Ajinkya Rahane, who used to open the batting with Jos Buttler, has now been traded to Delhi Capitals.
Jaiswal will open with Buttler and batting at the top of the order, he will have a lot of time and deliveries to showcase his potential. The left-hander can be a very, very smart fantasy pick.
#3 Steve Smith
Steve Smith was not at his fluent best in the IPL last season, but that was understandable as he was just making a comeback after a 12-month ban.
However, having played sufficient amount of international cricket in the last year or so and having scored heaps of runs in all formats, Smith will be a big asset for the Royals in the upcoming IPL season.
Smith has been named the captain as well, so he will be playing all the games. He will probably bat at no. 4 for the Royals and will look to take on the spinners in the middle overs.
#4 David Miller:
David Miller is a new signing for the Royals and he can be a destructive player down the order. The South African left-hander is one of those rare players who can just walk in and go after the bowling from ball one.
Miller holds the record of scoring an IPL hundred in just 38 balls for his previous franchise Kings XI Punjab and he has scored a 35-ball hundred in T20 internationals as well.
If Miller is striking the ball well, he can change the face of the game in a matter of 25 to 30 deliveries.
