The Royals square up with Kings XI Punjab in their first match and there will be fresh promises to keep.
Jaipur: The charisma surrounding Rajasthan Royals just never fades. In the very first season, Royals reserved a corner in the hearts of fans with their daring performance.
A bunch of no-hopers, inspired by Shane Warne, completed a fairytale triumph in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Quite like the valour one associates with their home city, the Royals have shown the courage to fight against all odds. Since then, they have been part of some memorable battles and have been a nemesis for big teams.
As the new season unfurls, the Royals square up with Kings XI Punjab in their first match here on Friday and there will be fresh promises to keep. The real test for Royals will be to deal with the absence of Warne, who hung up his boots last season. A shrewd tactician, Warne flourished with his captaincy in the IPL. The man replacing him at the helm this season, Rahul Dravid, is no less a fighter. He has recently brought curtains to his glittering international career and will bring calm assuredness to the team.
Royals blew hot and cold in the season and finished sixth, but twice they beat Mumbai Indians, of the most consistent performers in the IPL. They have bolstered their team this season with likes of Owais Shah, Brad Hodge and Sri Lankan Dinesh Chandimal.
There is also Australian Brad Hogg, who has made a sensational comeback to Twenty20 at 40, and Sreesanth, who played for the now defunct Kochi Tuskers in the last season. South African Johan Botha was a vital member of the Royals last season, with his entertaining knocks and effective offbreaks.
Shaun Tait leads the bowling charge. However, their key player Shane Watson will arrive only by the end of this month
Royals have always relied on local talent pool and this year, too, they look forward to the likes of Karnataka all-rounder Stuart Binny, Ajinkaye Rahane, Siddharth Trivedi, Sumit Narwal and Ashok Menaria to deliver the goods.
The reins of Kings XI Punjab will held by another veteran Adam Gilchrist, who led Deccan Chargers to an astonishing revival in the second season. Under his captaincy, Kings XI Punjab managed a place in the last season after having hit the rock bottom in 2010.
Paul Valthaty, an unknown face, stunned one and all with his daring stroke-play last year. He would be responsible for providing his team good starts. Australian Shaun Marsh, who created ripples 2008, and David Hussey will be key to Punjab’s fortunes.
Former Pakistan quick Azhar Mahmood, who got an England citizenship and turned up at the auction as English player, could turn out to be handy with both bat and ball. Praveen Kumar will lead the bowling attack while the addition of consistent domestic performers like Delhi’s Parvinder Awana should also prove valuable.
Source: http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/
