Inaugural IPL champions (2008) Rajasthan Royals (RR) are ready for the IPL 2025. The IPL 2022 runners-up reached the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, as they are eyeing to create new history in the IPL 2025.

Rajasthan Royals will start their IPL 2025 journey when SunRisers Hyderabad, the IPL 2024 runners-up, host them on Sunday (March 23) afternoon in the second game of the tournament. 

Top-Order Batters

• Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana

Young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is an aggressive batter who has been the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals since IPL 2023, as the left-handed batter scored 625 and 435 runs in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively. 

For the first three matches of the IPL 2025, Sanju Samson will only serve as a batter, as he is likely to be used as an impact player. Although he will not lead Rajasthan Royals for the first three games of the season, the leading run-scorer of the franchise (3934 runs) holds the key reason for the team’s success.

Nitish Rana was the second leading run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2023 with 413 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 140+, including three half-centuries. Due to a finger injury, he played only two games in the IPL 2024. He is also a useful spinner. 

See Also: IPL 2025: SunRisers Hyderabad Strong Playing XI

Middle-Order Batters

• Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag

Caribbean cricketer Shimron Hetmyer is one of the top T20 players, who likes to hit sixes and has a strike rate of over 150 in the IPL after 66 innings while scoring 1243 runs, including four half-centuries. In the CPL 2024, he was the fifth leading run-scorer with 402 runs in 13 innings with a strike rate of 185.25, including four half-centuries. In the IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons, he smashed 20+ sixes, and RR will be hopeful to see this form in the 2025 edition. 

As Sanju Samson is recovering from surgery, Dhruv Jurel is likely to keep wicket for RR in their first three games of the IPL 2025. In his 28 IPL matches, all for RR, Jurel scored 347 runs, including two half-centuries. He has a great chance to impress everyone in the initial RR fixtures, especially if he gets enough batting opportunities. 

Riyan Parag is set to lead Rajasthan Royals in their first three games of the IPL 2025 as the regular captain Sanju Samson is recovering from a recent surgery and will be only active as a batter for the team before his complete recovery. In his 70 IPL matches for RR, Parag has scored 1173 runs, including six half-centuries. After a long struggle in the IPL, Parag was the leading run-scorer for RR and the third-most overall run-scorer in the IPL 2024 with 573 runs, including four half-centuries.

Spinner(s)

• Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana

Sri Lankan cricketer Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the greatest spinners in white-ball cricket in the modern era. The 27-year-old has huge experience, and apart from being effective as a spinner, Hasaranga also likes to smash the bowlers and enjoys playing cameo roles with the bat. His presence makes his team’s batting limit better. 

The 24-year-old Sri Lankan off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana is another effective spinner and has many strong partner roles with Hasaranga for the national team. In his IPL career, Theekshana has recorded 25 wickets in 27 games, all for CSK. However, he can make better IPL records. 

Pacers

• Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Jofra Archer/Fazalhaq Farooqi

Indian cricketer Sandeep Sharma is one of the most experienced IPL pacers who has recorded 137 wickets in 127 IPL matches. While his experience can be valuable for the inaugural IPL champions, he has to prove himself once again by developing consistency. 

Tushar Deshpande has a record of 42 wickets in 36 IPL matches, including 38 wickets in the last two seasons, joint fourth most IPL wickets in this period. He is one of the strong bowlers in the slog overs. 

English fast bowler Jofra Archer and Afghan left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi can battle for the overseas pace-bowling spot for the teams. Both can be dangerous with the ball at their best time, while Farooqi is shining at present.