"It's a team which surprises a lot of people" - Sunil Gavaskar on the Rajasthan Royals heading into IPL 2024

Sunil Gavaskar believes the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) batting strength helps them spring a few surprises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Royals, the inaugural IPL champions, finished as the runners-up to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 edition of the tournament. The Mumbai Indians (MI) pipped them to the final playoff qualification spot last season.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked about the Rajasthan Royals' acquisitions heading into IPL 2024. He responded:

"I think they have made up for the releases. I don't think that they have added anything more, though the kind of progress that Nandre Burger has made will give optimism for the Rajasthan supporters because he brings the left-handed variety also to the attack."

"I think it's a team which surprises a lot of people because their batting is one of the finest in the competition. At the top, you have got Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, left and right-hand combination," the former India captain added.

Gavaskar reckons RR would be a tough nut to crack if their top order of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson delivers consistently. He stated:

"There is Sanju Samson, who comes in as well. These three players can take the attack apart anytime and if they do that on a consistent basis, then the Rajasthan Royals, whether they are chasing or whether they are setting targets, will be difficult to beat."

Jaiswal (625), Buttler (392) and Samson (362) were the Royals' top three run-getters in IPL 2023. While the Jaipur-based franchise will expect Jaiswal to replicate last season's performance, they will hope Buttler and Samson give a better account of themselves.

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"Once he gets going, it's hard to stop him" - Sunil Gavaskar on Shimron Hetmyer as a finisher for the Rajasthan Royals

Shimron Hetmyer smashed 300 runs at a strike rate of 152.28 in 13 innings in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Sunil Gavaskar noted that the Rajasthan Royals also have an ideal finisher in Shimron Hetmyer. He elaborated:

"Their batting seems to be certainly sorted. Shimron Hetmyer, batting at No. 5, the ideal finisher, because he can power the ball away on any ground, and once he gets going, it's hard to stop him. Their batting certainly is more of a strength than their bowling is."

The Royals further bolstered their middle order by acquiring Rovman Powell for ₹7.40 crore at the auction. They also bought a domestic big-hitting middle-order batter in Shubham Dubey for ₹5.80 crore.