IPL 2023: Predicting strongest starting XI of Rajasthan Royal (RR) for the season

Rajasthan Royals (RR) scripted history by clinching the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy in the inaugural season. However, they haven’t maintained the same standards since then. They were inconsistent in their performances and even struggled to qualify for the playoffs multiple times.

But last season was different for them. The Rajasthan-based franchise finished in second position in the points table with 18 points in 14 games. They even went on to make their path into the finals, aiming for a second title. Unfortunately, things didn’t go their way and they lost against Gujarat Titans (GT).

In IPL 2023, RR will once again start their motor in hopes of lifting their second IPL title. Apart from a couple of changes, they kept the squad almost the same. Here we take a look at the strongest XI that RR can field this season.

Openers: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal

English opener Jos Buttler is once again set to take up the opening duties for his IPL franchise. He dropped one of the best individual performances with the bat in the league’s history last year. In 17 games, he smashed 863 runs at an average of 57.53 and an astonishing strike-rate of 149.05.

Unfortunately, the record-breaking campaign wasn’t enough as the Rajasthan Royals faced defeat at the hands of the newly-introduced Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final. To pair up with Buttler, young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is the front runner despite having many other quality openers in the squad.

In IPL 2022, Jaiswal scored 258 runs, averaging 25.80 and striking 132.99 in 10 games. However, the numbers can be improved considering the potential of the batter. He likes to play his shots irrespective of the conditions, which could be beneficial especially in the initial overs of the game.