IPL 2024 mini-auction nears: Rajasthan Royals may see a strategic shift in roster

While some teams may opt for a complete change in squad, others are expected to make some strategic shuffles and exchanges. Among the teams, Rajasthan Royals is likely to keep its core team consistent but implement some strategic changes, as per a News18 report.

Rajasthan Royals’ Strategy Shift

Since the 2022 tournament, the Rajasthan Royals, captained by Sanju Samson, have undergone a philosophical shift, the report noted. Despite their 2022 finals appearance, their subsequent performance slid, landing them fifth on the table in the following season, missing out on the playoffs.

The team is likely to maintain its core group of players — a roster with established top-order batsmen and specialist bowlers.

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However, a noted deficiency lies in the absence of versatile all-round options, the report added, noting that despite the acquisition of Jason Holder for ₹5.75 crore, his impact remained minimal. The franchise has also already made an early-season trade by acquiring Avesh Khan from Lucknow Supergiants in exchange for Devdutt Padikkal.

The franchise may thus release players including Murugan Ashwin, Trent Boult, KC Cariappa, Jason Holder, Joe Root, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, and Devdutt Padikkal (trade), as per the report.

Other teams to see changes

In other teams, England Test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes has made himself unavailable for IPL 2024 to manage his workload and fitness. Ben Stokes, 32, became a part of the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the successful IPL 2023.

“The Chennai Super Kings management is supportive of Ben in his decision to manage his workload with England playing a 5-Test series in India before the IPL and then the T20 World Cup in June 2024,” CSK said in a statement.

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Ben Stokes, who was picked by CSK for a whopping ₹16.25 crore in the last mini-auction, could participate in only two games in 2023 after suffering a toe injury. He played purely as a batter for England in the ongoing ODI World Cup. He is set to undergo surgery to address his knee as he aims to regain fitness for the upcoming Test series against India, beginning January 24.

Further, Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya is reportedly in talks with five-time IPL winner Mumbai Indians for a comeback in the team. The news has come ahead of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction which will be held in December.

Pandya had played seven seasons of IPL for Mumbai before being released before the 2022 season. After joining Gujarat Titans, Pandya led the side to back-to-back IPL finals, including earning them the trophy in their debut season.

“Yes, I can confirm that there have been talks of Hardik going to MI. There remains a chance that he might switch sides but at this moment, nothing more can be confirmed as of now as the deal is yet to be signed,” said an IPL source to PTI news agency.

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Updated: 25 Nov 2023, 11:12 AM IST