Sunil Gavaskar feels the Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) batting strength will allow them to spring a few shocks in the Indian Premier League.
The Royals, the IPL’s initial winners, finished second to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 season. Last season, the Mumbai Indians (MI) pipped them for the last playoff qualifying berth.
During a talk on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked about the Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2024 purchases. He responded:
“I think they have made up for the releases. I don’t think that they have added anything more, though the kind of progress that Nandre Burger has made will give optimism for the Rajasthan supporters because he brings the left-handed variety also to the attack.”
“I think it’s a team which surprises a lot of people because their batting is one of the finest in the competition. At the top, you have got Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, left and right-hand combination.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar believes RR will be a difficult nut to crack if their top order of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson perform regularly. He stated:
“There is Sanju Samson, who comes in as well. These three players can take the attack apart anytime and if they do that on a consistent basis, then the Rajasthan Royals, whether they are chasing or whether they are setting targets, will be difficult to beat.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Jaiswal (625), Buttler (392) and Samson (362) were the Royals’ top three run scorers in IPL 2023. While the Jaipur-based franchise expects Jaiswal to repeat his success from last season, they are hoping Buttler and Samson go better.
Sunil Gavaskar Praises Shimron Hetmyer’s Finishing Ability for Rajasthan Royals
Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that Shimron Hetmyer, the Rajasthan Royals’ finisher, is also suitable. He elaborated:
“Their batting seems to be certainly sorted. Shimron Hetmyer, batting at No. 5, the ideal finisher, because he can power the ball away on any ground, and once he gets going, it’s hard to stop him. Their batting certainly is more of a strength than their bowling is.”
Sunil Gavaskar
The Royals strengthened their middle order by obtaining Rovman Powell for ₹7.40 crore during the auction. In addition, they paid ₹5.80 crore for Shubham Dubey, a strong middle-order batter from India.