RAJASTHAN ROYALS — CAN THE TIDE EVENTUALLY TURN?
Rajasthan Royals, who are sitting in the fifth spot of the IPL table, will be hoping to shrug off the absence of star players for the UAE leg. The biggest investments — the England trio of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer — are not available. Another blow is the absence of Australian fast bowler Andrew Tye.
Replacing such marquee names is not easy, but the Royals have not done too badly. Evin Lewis is Buttler’s replacement, Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi comes in for Tye, Oshane Thomas for Stokes, and Glenn Phillips steps into Jofra Archer’s shoes. They are very useful performers, and South Africa’s Shamsi, the world’s No. 1 ranked T20 bowler, can lend the X-factor to the attack. However, the lack of depth in batting will be their biggest concern.