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Ever since their inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph in 2008, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have found success hard to come by. While they've impressed in patches over the years, RR have not been able to hold the coveted trophy again.
However, IPL 2022 has seen a rejuvenated Royals team make a statement of intent. Perched second in the points table with six wins from eight matches, RR are among the favorites to reach the playoffs rather comfortably.
A good part of their success is down to the work they did at the player auction table in February. Having entered with a core of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the recruitments of Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shimron Hetmyer have added further wings to the Royals setup.
3 reasons why RR can win the IPL 2022 final
Conjecture believes that the Rajasthan Royals could well last the distance in IPL 2022 and lift the trophy again after a 14-year wait. Here's a look at three reasons why the Royals can win the final should they make it there:
#1 Jos Buttler's form
With 499 runs from eight games and three centuries to his name, Jos Buttler has been unstoppable at the top of the order this season. The Englishman has already helped RR win several IPL 2022 fixtures, treating bowlers with disdain.
With a good six matches to go in the league phase and a potential three more in the playoffs, Buttler has every chance of usurping Virat Kohli's 973-run tally from the 2016 season. Should he even get close to doing so, RR's chances of making it to the playoffs and reaching the final will significantly boost.
Arguably the most complete T20 batter today, Buttler has looked at ease against both pace and spin. Getting past him is the first step towards upstaging the Royals as far as the opposition is concerned. Should Rajasthan reach the final and Buttler tee off, they might just win their second IPL title.
#2 Royals' bowling unit
Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna with the new ball, followed by Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin in the middle overs. A really tough bowling unit for the rival batters to negotiate.
The Royals have had very little luck with the toss in IPL 2022 so far, with skipper Sanju Samson losing seven out of his eight coin tosses. That said, each of RR's wins have come while defending totals and with a couple of them happening despite the lack of a big score to play with, it puts their relentless bowling unit into perspective.
Chahal has been picking up wickets for fun while his partner-in-crime Ashwin has done his bit in tying down opposition batters. Boult's experience of playing an IPL final (in 2020) will always come in handy while Prasidh has grown in stature throughout the tournament. Moreover, the likes of Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini and Obed McCoy have also done their bit whenever called upon.
They say batters win you games but bowlers win you championships. With such a bowling attack at their disposal, RR will back themselves to make the final of IPL 2022 and taste glory as well.
#3 Sanju Samson's calming influence
Sanju Samson has had a long association with the Rajasthan Royals, having played over 100 games for the franchise. He took over the captaincy reins last season, but the Royals finished a lowly seventh with just five wins.
That said, what stood out in Samson were his traits as a leader - something that was evident not just on the field, but also during his post-match interviews. One gets a sense of composure and clarity with Samson. Even when things go wrong, he isn't one to press the panic button.
These traits have been seen in some of the league's most successful captains (read MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma). Of course, a captain is only as good as his team, but this solid Royals outfit boast the added edge of Samson marshaling his troops in the right manner.
The IPL final is a high-stakes encounter where pressure soars over the roof. A calming influence from the team's captain aids keeping this under check and in Sanju Samson, RR has the right man for the job. His presence and sound decision-making point towards the team coming out on the right side of the IPL 2022 final should they get there.
2 reasons why RR won't win the IPL 2022 final
That said, despite all their strengths, the Royals do have their fair share of weaknesses as well. While they haven't hampered the team's progress thus far, they could come back to bite them towards the business end of IPL 2022.
On that note, here's a look at two reasons as to why RR may not win the final of IPL 2022 should they make it to the summit clash:
#1 Lack of a genuine all-rounder
Nothing bodes better for a T20 outfit than the presence of a couple of genuine all-rounders who can turn games around at the rate of knots. However, a look at the Royals' outfit is enough to cast a shadow over the presence of the same.
They do have the likes of Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham but neither is a sure starter in the playing XI. Moreover, RR are packed with specialists, and while they have executed their roles to the T thus far, the squad cries out loud for more batting depth.
RR have managed to offset the same by using Ravichandran Ashwin as a floater. At times, he has been sent up to arrest a collapse while on other occasions, he has also batted at No. 3 to shield the middle order from the moving ball. That said, the pressure of an IPL final may render that strategy moot and test the Royals' threadbare lower order.
This could come back to haunt them in the summit clash should they make it there.
#2 Lack of experience in the playoffs
Barring Ashwin and Trent Boult, none of the players on the Royals' current roster have tasted glory in an IPL final. Shimron Hetmyer and Yuzvendra Chahal have taken part in a final before, but a good part of the squad still lacks the experience of playing a high-stakes summit clash in the league.
The IPL 2022 final is set to be played in Ahmedabad. With a crowd capacity of 100 percent expected, one can expect a good portion of the 1,32,000 seats to be filled. A test of nerves like none other for players partaking in the final, right?
Thus, how the Royals manage to cope with the pressure of such a contest will be put to the test. Since this will be the first such experience for most of their players should they make the summit clash of IPL 2022, the Royals could well succumb to the pressure of the occasion.
