Rajasthan Royals (RR) had a stellar outing in IPL 2024. They reached Qualifier 2, where they went down against eventual runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad.
As the new season looms ahead, the Royals would like to go a little bit further and, hopefully, lift their second IPL title. The reliable Sanju Samson will be back to lead the team, which has undergone major changes in the player auction.
So that leaves us wondering about their playing XI combination for the IPL 2025 season. And here, we’ll predict their strongest playing XI for the upcoming edition.
RR Squad for IPL 2025:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Riyan Parag, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nitish Rana, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Rathore, Jofra Archer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Kwena Maphaka, Akash Madhwal, Tushar Deshpande, Ashok Sharma, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya
Read Also: CSK Strongest Playing XI for IPL 2025
RR Strongest Playing XI for IPL 2025
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson
Since the Royals didn’t retain Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal will need a new opening partner. And it’s quite likely that skipper Samson will move up the order.
He will join forces with Jaiswal to provide quick starts to the Royals. Both batters had a remarkable season last year, and they would like to repeat the same this time around.
Middle Order: Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer
As Samson moves up, RR will need someone to fill in the empty No. 3 slot. And Nitish Rana will be a perfect replacement for the job. Rana didn’t play a lot last season, but he is a reliable batter.
Then, Riyan Parag, who had a standout outing last season, will come in at No. 4. He would like to continue from where he left off last season.
Dhruv Jurel will follow in at No. 5 to power RR’s innings with his clean striking, while Shimron Hetmyer will be responsible for giving a solid finish.
Bowlers: Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer/Fazalhaq Farooqi, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Despande
The Royals will have a completely new bowling attack in IPL 2025. They only retained Sandeep Sharma ahead of the auction while adding new faces to the roster.
Jofra Archer will accompany Sharma in the pace attack, while Tushar Deshpande can be their death-over specialist. In the spin department, the franchise will go with the Sri Lankan duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.
RR can draft Fazalhaq Farooqi in case Archer doesn’t hit the right notes and gets injured in the season.
Read Also:- KKR Strongest Playing XI for IPL 2025
Impact Player: Shubham Dubey
Shubham Dubey can be RR’s impact player. When the Royals walk in to bat, they can bring in the hard-hitting Dubey in place of Sandeep Sharma.
