They won the first edition of the Indian Premier League but then never really came close. No, not even on papers. I don’t remember when was the last time the experts on television and social media really spoke about this team like they do for others. Having said that, this is T20 anything can and again, the first season is an example for that.
Now, coming to the squad, a lot will be depended on Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes followed by Steve Smith, Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson. Having said that, they do lack a power-hitting finisher, say, someone like Russell. Of course, not every team can have someone like him but an explosive finisher is a must in T20s these days. Oh, yes, the team has Anirudha Joshi who can take up that role. We will see a lot of Anirudha Joshi as well. David Miller is yet another player who holds the key for the team. However, if Smith, Buttler and Stokes are playing, it is unlikely that Miller will have a go as well.
The team do have some of the exciting upcoming talents like Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Mahipal Lomror and Manan Vohra- Both the players are around for a while now and they will be looking forward to this huge opportunity as well.
In the bowling department, nobody knows how Jaydev Unadkat attracts the Royals every single time. Having said that, he is one of the bowlers to watch out for here. Among the spinners, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia and in fact, a few other all-rounders can make use of the conditions very well.
One of the best things for the team is that Jofra Archer is in decent form and he will be leading the pace attack.
A lot still depends on Sanju Samson who will be holding the middle order together and thankfully, this time, he has Uthappa. The latter did not do well in the last few matches for KKR but will be raring to go here. His talent needs no introduction and he sure will be taking the pressure of Samson.
All eyes will be on Riyan Parag as well. The youngster was one of the finds in the last season.
On the whole, the team do have a lot of good players and the players who are in form. However, it is still in the hands of the management to get the combination right.
Squad:
Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Steve Smith, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat
