Rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals levelled up their game in IPL 2022 to reach the final of the tournament for the first time after 2008. The inaugural champions faded after hitting the peak in their maiden season under Shane Warne’s leadership – they never looked like a title contender after that, and failed season after season to reach the final. However, the IPL 2022 mega auction helped them change their fortunes. Royals did smart business and spent their major chunk of money to set up a solid playing XI. With Kumar Sangakkara leading the auction strategy, RR bought players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, and Shimron Hetmyer and others to build up a strong XI alongside their retained stars Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Also Read | IPL 2022 Best Playing XI: Team of The Tournament Led by Hardik Pandya
Rajasthan played dominant cricket this season but were over-reliant on Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal to get the job done in big games which hurt them in the final against Gujarat Titans.
IPL 2022 Record: Played: 17; Won: 11; Lost: 6; Standing: Runner-ups
High point of the Season
Samson and Co. entered the tournament with rejuvenated energy this season which reflected in their performances. However, the high point of their season was their emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Qualifier 2. It was a do-or-die game for the Royals where the momentum was with RCB but Rajasthan brought their A-game to the table to outclass them and secured a place in the final. Buttler, who had some tough outings before that contest, chose the perfect time to get his mojo back as he smashed RCB bowlers all around the park to slam his fourth century of the season. Rajasthan chased down the 158-run target with 11 balls to spare.
Low Point of the Season
There was a point in the season when Rajasthan lost three out of their four matches with all the defeats being one-sided affairs. That was enough to dent their confidence and bring their morale down. The low point started with a 5-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians who were on an eight-match losing streak before that. RR had an off-day in the field with both bat and ball, and MI took advantage of it to snatch two points. Royals failed to overcome their ghosts in the next clash against KKR where they were restricted to just 152 and the bowlers failed to defend it. They did manage to win their next match against Punjab Kings to bounce back but the following served them a bitter result with a crushing 8-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals. The results put Rajasthan’s place in the playoffs in jeopardy but they roared back in the later stage to finish second on the table.
Captaincy verdict
It was Samson’s second year as a full-time captain and he displayed immense growth in the department. It was a season where Samson the captain shined bright but Samson the batter lost his charm. He led his troops to the final of the tournament after playing dominant cricket. Unlike last tear, he had a better side and some experienced players whom he could rely upon in critical conditions. He utilized the resources well, especially in the bowling department where he used his options well with a set plan against particular oppositions. The team management also played an important role in making things easier.
Also Read: Metamorphosis of Hardik Pandya
Most valuable player
Jos Buttler – the Englishman was in a league of his own this season as he came close to breaking Virat Kohli’s massive record of most runs in a season. Buttler, who smacked four centuries in IPL 2022, finished with 863 runs in 17 matches. He surpassed David Warner’s tally of 848 – scored in 2016 for Sunrises Hyderabad but he fell short of Kohli’s 973-run season in the same 2016 season. It was a one-man show for RR in the batting department as Buttler single-handedly took them to the IPL final with his batting performances which were well backed by their bowlers. However, it also caused them the IPL trophy as they were overdependent on his form but when he failed to convert a good start into a big score in the final (was dismissed on 39), Rajasthan were restricted to just 130/9.
Major disappointment
Devdutt Padikkal: The southpaw joined RR with huge expectations after back-to-back impressive seasons for RCB. He failed to replicate his previous success in the new outfit and finished the season with 376 runs from 17 matches. These are not bad stats but his average of 22.12 didn’t do any justice to his talent. He scored just one half-century, however, a big reason behind that was constant shuffling in his batting position. Padikkal was used as an opener, at No 3 and 4 by the Royals, and it was the opener’s slot which worked a bit for him but the management had to shift him in the middle order to find the right balance.
Season Verdict
It was a good season for the Royals and they should be proud of what they achieved. Reaching IPL final is not an easy task and the Royals never relied on any luck or favour from the other team to keep their campaign going. They had match winners in Buttler and Chahal who did the majority of the task for them. The 2022 season was a good start for the former champions to bring back their glory days of the inaugural season under Shane Warne’s leadership. The foundation has been set this season for them and Samson has a strong team to capitalize on in the coming seasons.
Statistics
Most runs: Jos Buttler – 873 runs
Most wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal – 27 wickets
Highest individual score: Jos Buttler – 116 vs Delhi Capitals
Best bowling figures: Yuzvendra Chahal – 5/40 vs Kolkata Knight Riders
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