The stage is set for the 18th season of the IPL (Indian Premier League). The marquee event kicks off on March 22, and the season opener will see Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru. After the first game, many eyes will be set upon Rajasthan Royals.
The inaugural champions will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their first game of the tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23. It is interesting to note that Royals have a completely revamped squad for the IPL 2025.
The franchise let go of Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of the mega auction. Instead, they roped in the likes of Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nitish Rana, Maheesh Theekshana, and several more big names.
Interestingly, Sanju Samson, who had finger surgery recently, will not be the wicketkeeper for Royals in the first three games of the IPL, and he will only play as a batting option. In his place, 23-year-old Riyan Parag will be leading the side until Samson makes his return completely.
Furthermore, another talking point for Royals has been the lack of overseas batters in their playing XI. Except Shimron Hetmyer, the side has no overseas batters who could make the team sheet. The side seem to be completely depending on their Indian core of Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel to take them into the playoffs of the competition.
Additionally, with a bowling attack consisting of Hasaranga, Theekshana, Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Akash Madhwal, and Tushar Deshpande, Royals seem to have banked a lot of trust in their bowling attack. Despite their side looking comparatively weaker than in the previous seasons, Royals have invested for the future, and it could be interesting to see how the team fares in the upcoming edition of the IPL.