Strong on paper and high on confidence, the new-look Royals are ready for a crackling 15th edition of the IPL, taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season opener.

A new day, a fresh season, a promising squad, a solid coaching setup and of course, the unwavering support of our fans. This IPL, winning isn’t the only thing for the Royals. It’s everything.

They say well begun is half done. Having finished in the bottom half of the table last year, this new Royals squad is keen to do a lot of things right - the most important one being, starting their campaign on a winning note and moving in the same direction - until that glittering trophy comes home. With dreams in their eyes and hopes in their hearts, this promises to be a riveting season for this excited, eager and hardworking team - the Royals Class of 2022.

All eyes will once again be on the calm and composed Sanju Samson, one of only four players to have retained their IPL captaincy this year. His first season as the Royals skipper was certainly a mixed bag, but it carried more learnings than anything else. It is with these learnings that he sets off on another mission, marshalling a well-balanced team with the perfect mix of experience and youth across all departments.

Up against Samson will be another captain with similar attributes, Kane Williamson, and his troops at Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 2016 title-winners have given stiff competition to the Royals over the years, going neck and neck on most occasions. While the Royals had a solid outing at the mega auction, the Sunrisers too, picked up promising Indian and overseas talent. Going by the potential packed in both teams, one thing’s for certain, there will be no shortage of fireworks in this contest. Watch out for those maximums!



Match Details

SRH vs RR - 29 March 2022

MCA Stadium (Pune)

7:30 PM IST

This match will be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune, which hosts its first IPL game since 2018. A total of 38 IPL matches have been played at this ground, of which 20 were won by teams chasing. A usually good batting surface coupled with shorter boundaries makes up for a high-scoring encounter at this venue, the average 1st innings score being in the 150-160 range. The spinners will have a crucial role to play, especially in the first innings. With chances of dew late in the evening, the toss is a no-brainer.

IPL 2021: A recap

In the first leg of IPL 2021, Jos Buttler\"s sensational maiden T20 hundred (124 off 64 balls) powered the Royals to a 55-run victory. But the Sunrisers bounced back in the reverse fixture, clinching a 7-wicket win in the UAE leg. Overall, both teams have played against each other in 15 matches - the Sunrisers slightly ahead with 8 wins as compared to the Royals’ 7.

Team News

The Royals are one of the few franchises to have a full-strength squad going into the tournament, with none of the players missing due to international duties or opting out. And this only means one thing - a selection headache (a good one, though). With batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Buttler and Samson in the ranks, it’ll be interesting to see how the Royals’ top order shapes up. An array of pacers in Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna among others, a solid spin duo in Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, and a power-packed unit of big hitters in Shimron Hetmyer, Jimmy Neesham and the likes, this Royals squad seems to have covered all bases. It’ll be exciting to find out what playing eleven they go with!

It’s time to bring out the pink jerseys and the waving flags. It’s time to cheer the Royals to victory. It’s time to Halla Bol, again!

Which Royals player are excited to watch in Pink? Do let us know by tweeting to us @rajasthanroyals or to me @arey_yaar.