IPL 2025: Sanju Samson-Led Rajasthan Royals Begin Quest For A Second Title

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Last Updated:March 17, 2025, 12:58 IST

Rajasthan Royals Team Preview IPL 2025: The inaugural edition champions look to add another star to their crest as Sanju Samson leads his team into battle in yet another exciting season of the cash-rich franchise league tournament.

Sanju Samson (left) and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be key to RR's success. (BCCI Photo)

Rajasthan Royals Season Preview IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals, who set the precedent for other teams to follow with their inaugural edition triumph, have been knocking on the door of a second IPL crown in recent years, thanks to their consistent performances.

Led by the scintillating Sanju Samson, the Royals reached the final of the 2022 edition of the tournament only to stumble at the final hurdle against the Gujarat Titans. RR demonstrated their resilience as they put up dominant performances in the following season before collapsing towards the end of the league phase to miss out on a playoff berth in an unceremonious fashion.

However, they corrected plenty of their follies to make it to the playoffs in the most recent campaign with a third-place finish in the group stages and went on to knock Royal Challengers Bengaluru out of the event with a win in the qualifier. RR went down to Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator to bow out of the T20 contest, but the promise the side show is indisputable.

RR held onto the main frame of the unit with skipper Sanju, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma all retained, before adding big names such as Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga among others at the auction table.

And to top it all, RR have managed to rope in the legendary Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the side in a move that would no doubt bolster the aura of the side on the pitch and away from it as well.

How RR Fared In IPL 2024

RR finished the league phase in third place with 17 points from 14 games with 8 wins and 5 defeats to secure their place in the playoffs. They got the better of RCB with 4 wickets to spare in the qualifier before succumbing to SRH by 36 runs to bow out of the event.

Samson and Co. will look to gain on their previous showing by fighting for a spot in the final in their attempt to double down on their trophy cabinet.

RR Strongest Playing XI

Sanju Samson (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fazalhaq Farooqi

RR Full Squad

Sanju Samson (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.