Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-time best XI: Our picks

Rajasthan Royals (RR) stunned everyone by winning the inaugural edition of the IPL. But since then, they have faced several ups and downs in the game. In the 10 seasons they’ve played, RR has reached the playoffs on 4 occasions but never managed to make it to the finals.

The Jaipur-based team is often referred to as the ‘Moneyball’ team of the Indian Premier League (IPL). And this is due to their approach to recruiting players. Over the years, RR has been able to hone a number of talented Indian as well as foreign players.

So, we, at cricketbettingtips.io, have tried to come up with the best possible all-time XI for RR. Also, we help cricket bettors in finding the best cricket betting odds and offer tips that can help them in making strategic bets. So, if you’re into cricket betting, don’t forget to check them out!

Ajinkya Rahane

The first name which springs to mind when you think of Rajasthan Royals is Ajinkya Rahane. After spending a few years with Mumbai Indians, Rahane joined RR in 2011. Since then, he has been the most consistent batsman for the franchise, and also the highest run-scorer.

Rahane had his most prolific season in 2012 where he scored 560 runs. Overall, the Mumbaikar has aggregated 2,810 runs for RR, at an average of 34.26 and a decent strike rate of 122.66. He also has to his credit the most fifty-plus scores (19) for the team.

Shane Watson

Shane Watson was injured before the first season of the IPL but his determination earned him the Man of the Tournament award in the inaugural edition. Watson is the second-highest run-scorer and the highest wicket-taker for RR in the history of the IPL.

In his first season with RR, Watson scored 472 runs and accounted for 17 wickets. Since then, he has been consistent with the game throughout his association with the franchise which lasted till 2015. Shane Watson has scored 2,474 runs and claimed 67 wickets for RR.

Rahul Dravid

After spending a few years with RCB, Rahul Dravid joined RR in 2011 and was made the captain of the team in 2012. He was one of the major reasons why RR was able to face the stronger side as they reached the playoffs.

Dravid scored 1,324 runs in his three-year association with the franchise. His best season came in 2013 as he scored 471 runs which included 4 half-centuries.

Jos Buttler

Unlike other players in the team, Jos Buttler has been a part of RR only since 2018. Buttler was inspirational during his first season at RR and he scored 548 runs as the franchise reached the playoffs.

This was followed by 311 runs in just 8 matches in the 2019 season, which has taken his aggregate to 859 runs during his stint at the Jaipur-based team. Buttler revived RR’s campaign in 2018 and has had a huge impact on the team’s fortunes in the last two seasons.

Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals signed Sanju Samson in 2013 and since then, he has enjoyed two good spells with the franchise from 2013-2015 and from 2018 onwards. Sanju scored 206 runs in 2013 at the tender age of 18 and this earned him the young player award for that season.

He scored 339 runs in the 2014 season and was released by RR after an average outing in 2015. He returned to RR in 2018 and scored 441 runs, which are his highest in a single season. Overall, he has scored 1,724 runs for RR at a strike rate of 131.10.

Yusuf Pathan

Rajasthan Royals signed Yusuf Pathan in the first season because of his stellar performances in the domestic circuit. Pathan was one of the star players of RR’s 2008 team and is best known for his explosive batting style and his ability to pick wickets in middle overs.

In the 2008 season, Pathan scored 435 runs and took 8 wickets. Also, he scored a century off 37 balls in 2010, which was a record at that time. Overall, he has scored 1,011 runs for RR at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 161.24.

Stuart Binny

Stuart Binny joined Rajasthan Royals in 2011 and has spent the majority of his IPL career over there. His numbers are not very high like Russell or other players, but he played a key role for Rajasthan Royals, especially in 2013.

His first stint for RR was from 2011 to 2015 and his during those years was in 2013, where he scored 293 runs at an average of 32.55 and a healthy strike rate of 147.23. During his days at RR, Binny aggregated 812 runs and also accounted for 18 wickets in 78 matches.

Shreyas Gopal

At No.8, Shreyas Gopal would be one of the off-spinners in this team sheet of all-time XI. The leg-spinner made a splash in the last year’s IPL with his consistent and stellar performances.

In the two seasons he represented for RR, Gopal has taken 31 wickets at an average of 18.80, which is best among all Indian bowlers in the history of the IPL. Even his economy rate of 7.37 is best among all Indian bowlers who have represented the franchise.

Shane Warne

Shane Warne was the only foreign player to be selected as the icon player for RR in the 2008 edition of the IPL. With 708 wickets in test cricket to his name, Shane Warne is arguably the best long-form batsman of all time. Also, he has been extremely successful with the shorter format of the game too.

In the 2008 season, he picked up 19 wickets as RR won their first title. Overall, he has accounted for a total of 57 wickets, making him the third-highest wicket-taker for RR.

 Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel would lead the pace attack of this best all-time RR XI. Patel would be an asset for RR in death overs due to his ability to change the pace and bowl the yorker.

The Baroda medium pacer has scalped 33 wickets for RR at an average of 23.60 and a decent economy rate of 7.57.

Siddharth Trivedi

Siddharth Trivedi is the most prolific bowler for Rajasthan Royals in the history of IPL. He was also one of the success stories in RR’s title-winning run in 2008, accounting for 13 wickets.

Overall Trivedi has accounted for 65 wickets for RR at an average of 29.29 and an economy rate of 7.58.