Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: 5 players Rajasthan Royals (RR) can target in the IPL 2023 Auction | 5 players RR may target in the 2023 Auction

Rajasthan Royals were the runners-up of IPL 2022. It was the first year since the inaugural edition in 2008 that Rajasthan managed to qualify for the finals of the Indian Premier League.

After ages, it felt as if they managed to perform to their true potential as a team. The likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna form an excellent core for the Royals. They will look to continue that in IPL 2023.

They have a very settled squad with almost all the bases covered except one or two holes that must be plugged. The IPL 2023 auction is scheduled for the 23rd of December 2022, and the Royals’ management will look to take one more step to lift their second IPL title.

Before we take a look at who the Royals can target, here is their current squad, the players they released and the purse remaining.

Current Squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler*, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer*, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult*, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Obed McCoy*, Kuldip Yadav

Players Released

Anunay Singh, Corbin Bosch*, Daryl Mitchell*, James Neesham*, Karun Nair, Nathan Coulter-Nile*, Rassie van der Dussen*, Shubham Garhwal, Tejas Baroka

Probable Playing XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler*, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer*, TBC, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna

Purse

• 13.20 Crores Left
• 5 Overseas Slots

Needs

• Rajasthan Royals have almost all the bases covered except for a good all-rounder at number 7, preferably a pace-bowling all-rounder.
• Few backup options for their batters.

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5 players Rajasthan Royals can target for IPL 2023

Jason Holder

Rajasthan Royals are in need of a pace-bowling all-rounder at number 7. Jason Holder is a no-brainer. I’m 100% sure they will look to pick Holder, especially given he plays for Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League, a sister franchise of the Rajasthan Royals.

Holder is an excellent all-rounder who is capable of winning games with both bat and ball. He provides new ball value and has also done well in the death overs. He picked up 14 wickets in last season at an economy of 9.42, with six coming between overs 17 and 20.

Also, Holder is more than capable with the bat and he may turn out to be the missing part of the puzzle for the Rajasthan Royals.

Odean Smith

Odean Smith is another player that the Royals can target in the upcoming auction. Smith is a brute hitter with the bat and can provide two impactful overs with his pace bowling.

He was one of the most hyped players in last year’s auction after his consistent performance in the CPL and for West Indies. His debut season in the IPL wasn’t very impressive as he played only six games for the Punjab Kings. He picked up six wickets but his economy rate was 11.87. He couldn’t do much with the bat either, apart from an 8-ball 25* on debut.

But he can be an excellent prospect for any side when used properly. Punjab Kings used him as a death bowler which isn’t the ideal role for him. Smith’s best use his bowling two overs in the middle phase and being the hitter at number 7. However, the Royals will then need a sixth bowling option, i.e. Riyan Parag, to fill in with some overs if that’s the case.

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal was surprisingly released by the Punjab Kings – the franchise he led – ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. Mayank can be a great backup Indian batter for Rajasthan. If the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal or Devdutt Padikkal get injured or fail to perform as expected, Mayank will be a good choice to replace them.

He has scored 2,326 runs in the IPL at an average of 22.6, striking at 134.2 in 107 innings. Agarwal is a better player than the stats suggest and he’ll be determined to do well after being released.

Daniel Sams

Daniel Sams played for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022. He did a good job, especially towards the later stages of the tournament.

Sams swings the new ball and picks up wickets upfront. He took 13 wickets in the last season, eight of which came in the first six overs, and thus can make a lethal pair with Trent Boult in the powerplay. Also, he has a good slower delivery which can be very useful on slowish tracks.

Plus, Sams is a competent hitter lower down the order with the bat and can also be floated up the order if required. Rajasthan promoted Ashwin to number 3 when an early wicket fell and Sams can play that role as well. The left-arm Aussie pacer can be a good pick for the Royals if they fail to pick Jason Holder.

Fabian Allen

Fabian Allen can be a great pick for the Royals for IPL 2023. Allen is a utility player as he contributes with the bat, ball and in the field as well. He is an aggressive batter who can tonk the ball in the later phase of the innings. He bowls left-arm orthodox which is something Rajasthan lacks in their unit and he’s a gun fielder to go with that.

Allen hasn’t got a lot of opportunities to prove himself in the IPL but he is surely capable of performing well in the tournament.

These were the five players that I think Rajasthan can target in the upcoming auction. They have a settled squad and as mentioned earlier, they need a good all-rounder at number eight alongside some backups for their batters.

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