After beginning their Indian Premier League journey on a stellar note winning the inaugural edition in 2008, Rajasthan Royals haven’t seen much success over the years. Despite boasting of big names such as Ajinkya Rahane (who is now with Delhi Capitals), Steve Smith, Jaydev Unadkat, the Jaipur-based team has failed to even finish as runner-up since winning the trophy 12 years ago. Their best performance was in 2013 and 2018 finishing third in both the editions of the cash-rich T20 league. Led by Steve Smith, Rajasthan Royals would certainly be eager to change that and hoping that the line up star players come out good in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Rajasthan Royals will need star players Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and other young guns to live up to the expections to pose any challenge to other strong contenders.

Here’s a list of 5 top Rajasthan Royals players to watch out for in IPL 2020

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal: The 18-year-old shot into the limelight after a top U-19 World Cup 2020 in which he scored 400 runs. The left-hand batsman followed his World Cup show with a brilliant domestic season the highlight of which was the double century (203 runs in 154 balls) in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Jharkhand. Jaiswal, who plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 2.4 crore. While the team management is yet to decide where to fit him in the line up, it would be exciting to see him batting along with players like Steve Smith and Jos Buttler.

2. Ben Stokes: The English all-rounder is in the form of his life at present. His valiant innings in the World Cup 2019 final against New Zealand has propelled Ben Stokes into the league of best all-rounders the game has seen. After a fantastic 2017 IPL, in which he was adjudged as the Most Valuable Player (MVL), Stokes had disappointing seasons in 2018 and 2019. Many believe that Ben Stokes is due for some big performance in IPL 2020 considering his current form. Rajasthan Royals would want Stokes to unleash his fireworks every game in the UAE.

3. Jos Buttler: After an impressive stint with the Mumbai Indians in 2017, Jos Buttler was purchased by Rajasthan Royals for 2018 season and the English wicketkeeper-batsman continued his good show. Opening the innings for the Royals, Buttler provided the team a brisk start on numerous occasions. In the 8 matches that he played for Rajasthan Royals in 2019, Buttler scored 311 runs with a devastating strike rate of over 151. Rajasthan Royals would want him to start 2020 season from where he left last year providing impetus at the top of the order.

4. Riyan Parag: The 18-year-old has everything in him to become a star all-rounder in a few years time. The right-hand batsman who can also bowl decent legbreaks had a decent outing for the Rajasthan Royals in 2019 edition of the IPL. Parag scored 160 runs in seven matches with an impressive strike rate of almost 127. He would be hoping to use IPL 2020 as a launch pad for his national dream.

5. Jofra Archer: The star English pacer was picked for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore in the 2018 IPL auction, and he didn’t disappoint the owners of Rajasthan Royals. Archer picked 15 wickets in that season.

Though he will miss the first leg of the T20 tournament in the UAE due to national duty, Jofra Archer would still be hoping to help Rajasthan Royals reach the qualifiers. The flat decks in the UAE won’t offer much help to Archer but for a bowler who can clock speeds in excess of 150 kph on a consistent basis, it shouldn’t be an issue.