The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been to the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) only twice – when they won it in the inaugural season and then in 2022. In between, playoff appearances have been sparse, despite a relatively recent spurt, and in 2025, they finished a spot off the bottom, having only won four times all campaign.

This season, they have a reboot to contend with as well. Sanju Samson has left for newer pastures, with
Riyan Parag appointed captain. Kumar Sangakkara, on the other hand, is back as head coach, replacing Rahul Dravid.

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The Royals have not been serial playoff-makers in the recent past, and based on how the other teams are stacking up, they might find it tough to alter that narrative.

Shubh aaRRambh feat Sanga! 🗣️💗 pic.twitter.com/mhvMOqe31v

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 19, 2026Squad at a glance

RR were one of the more active sides in the trade window. They traded Samson to the Chennai Super Kings, with Nitish Rana also joining the Delhi Capitals. But some players did enter the RR door: Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi and Sam Curran to name a few. Curran, however, has been ruled out for the season, with Dasun Shanaka brought in as a replacement.

Elsewhere, RR’s squad is dripping with young talent and effervescence. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has enhanced his reputation since the culmination of last season, with Yashasvi Jaiswal also itching to regain his place in India’s T20I side. Parag has fallen down the national pecking order but remains capable of deciding games on his own.

Dhruv Jurel has also been a consistent performer for the Royals. Add Bishnoi and Jadeja to those ranks and RR have an exciting Indian core to work with, even if inexperience hangs over a few of those heads.

On the overseas front, Jofra Archer and Shimron Hetmyer are the two out-and-out stars. Adam Milne, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka and Ferreira can all do a job, although each of them are unproven in the IPL.

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Players purchased at IPL Auction 2026: Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 7.20 crore), Sushant Mishra (Rs 90 lakh), Yash Raj Punja (Rs 30 lakh), Vignesh Puthur (Rs 30 lakh), Ravi Singh (Rs 95 lakh), Aman Rao (Rs 30 lakh), Brijesh Sharma (Rs 30 lakh), Adam Milne (Rs 2.4 crore), Kuldeep Sen (Rs 75 lakh)

Rajasthan Royals full squad for IPL 2026: Ravindra Jadeja (traded in from CSK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Sam Curran (traded in from CSK), Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer, Lhuan-dre-Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira (traded in from DC), Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen

Best possible Playing XII and Impact Player choices

RR have a predominantly Indian batting line-up, which is a luxury in the IPL. Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal should open, with Jurel possibly at three and Parag at four. Jadeja, despite batting higher than usual for CSK in 2025, might revert to a finishing role, with Hetmyer capable of being a finisher, and a top-order batter.

Ravindra Jadeja, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, 2026 👌 pic.twitter.com/XIBAF56MSL

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 20, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Archer, meanwhile, is expected to be their pace spearhead, with Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande likely to form the rest of the pace-bowling attack.

RR have been funkier than the rest since the introduction of the Impact Player. Expect that to continue, with RR potentially starting with only three overseas players. Ferreira and Burger/Maphaka/Milne might feature based on the situation.

Possible Playing XII (Including Impact Player)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Donovan Ferreira/Nandre Burger/Kwena Maphaka

Tactical Identity

RR have often been big on stats, numbers and match-ups, and this season’s squad reflects them retracing those steps. They will go hard in the powerplay with the bat and with the ball, especially if Archer remains fit and is on song.

The Royals have a batting unit that can sustain momentum throughout 20 overs and expect them to try and maintain a left-right batting combination as much as possible. Do not rule out Jadeja floating up the order either, reprising the sort of role R Ashwin once played for the franchise.

Strengths

A thrilling batting line-up, comprising of some of the most precocious talents in the country. They have also upgraded their spin-bowling department massively. They can now rely on two proven Indian spinners (Bishnoi and Jadeja) as opposed to two overseas spinners (Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga), which gives them flexibility in other areas.

Weaknesses

Pace-bowling. The talent is there; consistency, perhaps not. Archer and Deshpande have a wicket-taking knack. But they have a history of shipping runs too. Archer, Burger and Milne – the three overseas quicks – do not have a clean bill of health either, meaning that the back-up issues that cropped up last season, might just resurface again. Especially with Curran also absent.

Threats

An inexperienced captain.
Parag does not have a great record as skipper so far. The impact full-time captaincy could have on his batting also remains to be seen. Sangakkara, thus, might need to have a spotless season in terms of decision-making.

Riyan Parag won just two matches out of the seven games that he captained last season. Image: Reuters

Speaking of decision-making, RR have often tinkered too much – either with their side or with the roles their players have played. They have plenty of options to keep the opposition guessing in 2026 too, but that also means they have several decisions they can get wrong.

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Final position – Outside the top four

Top run-scorer – Yashasvi Jaiswal

Top wicket-taker – Ravi Bishnoi

HomeFirst CricketRR IPL 2026 Preview: Can new captain Riyan Parag and returning star Ravindra Jadeja inspire Royals’ comeback this year?End of Article