Ranking RR's 5 greatest batters of all time

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be looking to better their runners-up finish from IPL 2022 when the new season commences on March 31. Having won the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, they came closest to replicating the feat last year before going down to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final.

Over the years, the Royals have boasted a solid batting lineup comprising match-winners aplenty. That has remained a key component of their success, and while their current lineup doesn't necessarily bat deep, all they need is one or two of them to stand tall and get the job done.

Here, we rank their five greatest batters of all time through the course of their IPL journey.

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#5 Yusuf Pathan

Consistency was never Yusuf Pathan's best friend. Yet, he was a maverick T20 batter who was ahead of his time and played a massive role in RR winning the inaugural IPL title in 2008.

While Yusuf's stellar all-round heroics in the 2008 final are well-documented, he has also come up clutch on multiple other instances. To this date, he holds the record for the fastest hundred by an Indian in the league and the second-fastest overall behind Chris Gayle. The all-rounder achieved the feat while threatening to pull off a chase of 219 for the Royals against the Mumbai Indians in 2010.

Yusuf didn't deliver consistent returns in 2009, although his feat of clubbing Ajantha Mendis for three sixes to seal a Super Over remains a storied one. It is worth noting that he often played a difficult role as a finisher, even though he batted higher up the order in the first season.

Overall, Yusuf tallied 1011 runs for RR at an average of 26.61 and a strike rate of 161.24 to take the fifth spot on this list.

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#4 Ajinkya Rahane

The technically gifted Ajinkya Rahane is contrary to T20 cricket's crash-bang-wallop nature. Yet, he found a way to use his skills to the fullest and was a consistent run-scorer for RR over the years.

In 93 innings for the Royals, the opener piled up 2810 runs at an average of 34.27 and a strike rate of 122.65, including two centuries. He represented the franchise in seven seasons on either side of their two-year exile from the league, crossing the 350-run mark in six of those and falling 11 shy of it in 2013.

Rahane also captained RR to the playoffs in IPL 2018. In his prime, he was a reliable opener in the IPL and he takes the fourth position on this list.

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#3 Sanju Samson

Current RR skipper Sanju Samson was scouted by the franchise as he burst onto the scene as a stylish and exciting young teenage prodigy in 2013. Consistency (or lack thereof) proved to be his biggest Achilles heel over time, although when in full flow, fewer batters are a sight for sore eyes.

Samson's numbers for the franchise stack up as thus: 2849 runs at an average of 29.68 and a strike rate of 137.90. With 14 fifties and two hundreds to go with it, the dynamic batter has become one of the biggest mainstays of the Royals, with consistent returns becoming the norm in recent years.

Samson showed astute leadership qualities to lead RR to their second IPL final last year and will look to take them one step further to the crown this time around.

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#2 Jos Buttler

One of the greatest T20 batters to have graced the planet, beyond doubt. Jos Buttler is as menacing as they come and also backs that up with the requisite smarts depending on what the conditions have to offer.

A stellar IPL 2022 season where he racked up 863 runs, including four hundreds, saw Buttler walk away with the Most Valuable Player award. RR didn't necessarily nail his role when he joined them in 2018, but he has become a different beast as their regular opening batter.

More often than not, Buttler tends to get the job done when he bats through the innings. That he does so at a solid strike rate only testifies what a match-winner he is in the format.

The 32-year-old has tallied 2304 runs for RR at an average of 46.08 and a blistering strike rate of 150.59. Top spot for most teams, but an agonizingly close second here as far as the Royals' greatest batters are concerned.

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#1 Shane Watson

Shane Watson - a destroyer with the bat (File Image).

A two-time MVP winner and a major catalyst behind RR lifting the inaugural IPL title, Shane Watson's greatness as a T20 all-rounder requires no reiteration. He was the cynosure of the Royals outfit for the first eight seasons of the league, around whom the rest of the squad was constructed.

Watson was destructive against spin and equally lethal against pace during his prime. He played just 24 games across three seasons between 2010 and 2012 owing to his international commitments, but even then, he made his presence felt with pivotal innings at a rapid strike rate.

Watson's numbers for RR with the bat read 2372 runs at an average of 36.49 and a strike rate of 141.27, with 14 half-centuries and two hundreds. The Aussie also had an uncanny ability to turn up in clutch situations.

One of the Royals' best foundation players whose legacy in the franchise is enriched for good, Watson takes the top spot as their greatest batter till date.

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Who do you think has been the Rajasthan Royals' greatest batter in the IPL? Let us know in the comments section below!

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