The first Indian Premier League champion was Rajasthan Royals. They are one of the first teams in the IPL and have been there since the first season in 2008. They are based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, known as the “Pink City.” The least expensive team in the Indian Premier League was the Royals. But they still had some of the best players in domestic and international cricket, like Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Yusuf Pathan, and so on.
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The Royals are known as the “Moneyball” side of the Indian Premier League because they find young cricketers in India and abroad. Some of the world’s top cricketers were never on the squad as kids. Yusuf Pathan and Taruwar Kohli are Indian. Shane Watson’s IPL performance helped him become a prominent member of the Australian national team. Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, Tim Southee, and James Faulkner are others. Shane Watson’s 67 wickets and Ajinkya Rahane’s 2705 runs lead the team. IPL 2021 Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson. Andrew McDonald is the team’s head coach, and Shane Warne is its Brand Ambassador.
Rajasthan Royals in Semifinal of IPL T20 – 2 times
Rajasthan Royals in Final of IPL T20 – 1
Team 2021 for Rajasthan Royals – Dream11 RR IPL 13 Squad List
- Sanju Samson (Captain)
- Ben Stokes
- Jos Buttler
- Jofra Archer
- Manav Vohra
- Varun Aaron
- Riyan Parag
- Shashank Singh
- Shreyas Gopal
- Mahipal Lomror
- Ankit Rajpoot
- Mayank Markande
- Robin Uthappa
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Rahul Tewatia
- Kartik Tyagi
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Anuj Rawat
- Oshane Thomas
- Akash Singh
- David Miller
- Andrew Tye
- Aniruddha Joshi
- Tom Curran
Past Performance of the Rajasthan Royals (year-wise)
IPL 2008:
Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL title with a stunning display of cricket. They lost the first match, but they won the rest of the tournament. They won 11 of 14 matches. Rajasthan reached the semi-finals first in 2008. The team defeated IPL’s favorite Chennai Super Kings in a dramatic final. Shane Watson received Man of the Tournament for his batting and bowling. 2008 IPL leading wicket-taker Sohail Tanvir earned the Purple Cap.
IPL 2009:
The 2009 IPL champions struggled in the second season. The unavailability of Shane Watson and Sohail Tanvir was a major factor. The Royals lost two notable international players from the previous season. The Royals lost their second IPL encounter and many of the subsequent ones. Rajasthan won 6 of 14 matches. Their losses put them at the bottom of the points standings and sent numerous players home. Rajasthan Royals were eliminated before the Playoffs due to poor performance.
IPL 2010:
Rajasthan Royals had a rocky third IPL season. The team lost the first match, but their flawless performance won hearts. Yusuf Pathan scored the fastest IPL century (100 off 37 balls) in this match. The team lost the second and third matches but won the fourth. Yusuf Pathan supported the squad throughout and played well. Adam Voges and Nama Ojha were other Royals stars. Rajasthan Royals played well but missed the Playoffs.
IPL 2011:
Rajasthan Royals started the 4th Indian Premier League season with legal issues. They were suspended alongside Kings XI Punjab. Finally, Mumbai High Court authorized them to play. Legal expenditures depleted their team fund. However, Rajasthan bought international cricket stars Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Shaun Tate, and Paul Collingwood.
Rajasthan Royals won their debut IPL match against Deccan Chargers in 2011. Shane Warne again impressed Rajasthan royals despite his age. However, the team only won 6 of 14 matches after that. They finished 6th and left the League. Shane Warne retired from all cricket this season.
IPL 2012:
Rajasthan Royals struggled in 2012. The team struggled throughout the series. They won 7 of 14 matches. The team finished 7th in the League and left.
IPL 2013:
Rajasthan Royals’ 6th IPL season was better. After winning the first IPL, Rajasthan made its Playoff debut. The team won 10 of 16 matches. In the Eliminator round, they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad. They lost to Mumbai Indians in the semi-finals and missed the final. Royals star Shane Watson won Man of the Tournament.
Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, and Sreesanth were suspended by BCCI for spot-fixing in the 2013 IPL.
IPL 2014:
Rajasthan Royals retained five key players—Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, James Faulkner, Ajinkya Rahane, and Sanju Samson—to start the season. Rahul Dravid mentored the team after retiring. Royals matches were unremarkable. They won 7 of 14 matches. The club finished 5th in points and missed the playoffs due to poor play.
IPL 2015:
Rajasthan performed better in the 2015 IPL. 6 of 14 matches were won. The good news is they might qualify for the playoffs in 4th place. They were eliminated from the semi-finals by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator round.
IPL 2016:
The team was banned from playing due to fake and improper bidding charges. Raj Kundra was suspended from the IPL for life.
IPL 2017:
Rajasthan was again banned from the IPL.
IPL 2018:
Rajasthan Royals returned to the IPL after two years in the 11th season. Rajasthan kept Steve Smith as captain. He was replaced as captain by Rahane after his ball-tampering scandal. The Royals made the playoffs again in 2018. Royals batsman Jos Buttler also scored the fastest half-century. 7 of 14 matches were won. In the Eliminator round, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated them.
IPL 2019:
The royals struggled in IPL 2019. Six players left, and 16 stayed. After his suspension, Steve Smith returned. Despite Rahane’s captaincy, Smith was reappointed after the team’s poor performance. The team won 5 of 13 matches and ended 7th in the points standings.
IPL 2020:
Rajasthan Royals won the IPL 2020 opener against Chennai and Punjab. These successes made it a major contender and threat to big teams. With more games, performance deteriorated, and the team failed to reach the semi-finals. RR excelled in Sharjah Stadium but struggled elsewhere. Steven Smith captained. He made team knocks. Rajasthan Royals’ best acquisition was all-rounder Rahul Tewatiya. RR’s emerging star. He hit five sixes in an over to help Rajasthan Royals win. Despite outstanding batting, the team lost critical matches due to poor bowling. The team lost numerous games due to top-order collapse by skilled batsmen. With an average run rate, the season was only notable for league matches. RR finished last in league with 6 wins.
Rajasthan Royals Team Captain:
Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals’ IPL debut. Warne led the franchise to their first IPL title. Since 2011, Shane Watson has captained the team. Watson led the team until the 2015 IPL before the team’s two-year suspension. After returning from suspension in 2018, Steve Smith became captain. Ajinkya Rahane became captain after his suspension the same year. Steve Smith replaced him as captain in 2019.
Rajasthan Royals Team owner:
Emerging Media owns Rajasthan Royals. Indian entrepreneur Manoj Badale chairs and owns the franchise. Amisha Hathiramani, Lachlan Murdoch, and Shane Warne are the team’s other stakeholders.