IPL 2025, RR SWOT analysis: Can Rahul Dravid and Sanju Samson end Rajasthan Royals title drought?
IPL 2025: Let's take a look at Rajasthan Royals chances of winning their 2nd IPL title by assessing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
FollowImage credit: RR website
Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, March 23. Royals are aiming to end their 16-year title drought in the upcoming IPL season.
After winning the IPL title under the captaincy of late Shane Warne in 2008, Rajasthan Royals managed to reach the final only once, that was in 2022, where they lost to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. In the last IPL season, the Sanju Samson-led side reached the playoffs, where they defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2.
Ahead of the IPL 2025, Rajasthan Royals retained their core players from the previous season and increased their squad strength by signing players at the auction. While Samson will continue to lead Royals in the upcoming IPL season, Rahul Dravid returned to the side after a gap of 12 years as a head coach following his successful coaching stint with Team India, including winning the T20 World Cup triumph.
With a fresh squad and new coach, will Rajasthan Royals finally end their long title drought in the IPL 2025? On that note, let’s take a look at the team’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
SWOT analysis of Rajasthan Royals:
Image Credit: ANI
Strengths
One of the biggest strengths for Rajasthan Royals lies in their batting line-up, consisting of power-hitters who could go bonkers against the opposition's bowling attack. The line-up includes skipper Sanju Samson, Yashasvi, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Rana. All these batters have the ability to unleash their firepower and accelerate the scoring rate in the middle overs, which is crucial for putting up big totals or chasing down hefty targets. Having finishers like Hetmyer and Parag provides the team with stability in pressure situations.
Additionally, Royals pace bowling attack looks formidable. The pace bowling department consists of Jofra Archer, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande. Archer can have extra pace and bounce, which could trouble the opposition batters, especially on lively pitches. Farooqui has been quite impressive over the past one year and is expected to add variety with his left-arm bowling. While Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande bring their experience of playing on Indian pitches and are expected to play a role in the death overs.
Image Credit: ANI
Weaknesses
One of the weaknesses for Rajasthan Royals is that they lack options in the spin bowling department. Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga are currently experienced spinners in the squad, but beyond them, RR lacks depth in spin bowling. Moreover, Royals have only Indian specialist spinner in Kumar Kartikeya, which is a big concern, given that spin-friendly pitches in India often require the team to have a diverse and strong spin attack. RR management will likely turn to Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer if required.
Another weakness is that they do not have a proper overseas batter in the squad. Shimron Hetmyer is the only overseas batter that the RR could rely on. Jofra Archer is an able batter in the lower-order, but he is not a specialist batter who can contribute consistently. A lack of dependable overseas batter at top-order or in the middle-order could put additional pressure on Indian batters to deliver in every game. If Hetmyer fails to perform, the RR might struggle to find a capable overseas batter who can stabilize the innings.
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3. Opportunities
The upcoming season is a big opportunity for Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson to thrive under the mentorship of Rahul Dravid, who has returned to Royals after 12 years as a head coach. Samson and Dravid played together for RR in 2013, it was the latter who spotted the former’s talent during the trials back then. Dravid has a wealth of coaching experience under his belt, having coached India U19 team to Team India. He was at the helm as the head coach when the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup last year. So, the former India captain returning as a head coach is a big boost for Royals ahead of the IPL 2025.
Another big opportunity is to unearth young and talented players. Dravid is known for identifying talented players and giving them the opportunity at the right time. 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who grabbed the headlines when he was bought for INR 1.1 crore at the IPL 2025, is expected to be groomed and nurtured under Rahul Dravid’s mentorship. Having experience of nurturing and grooming U19 players in the past, Dravid is the best man to guide young talents like Vaibhav and transition smoothly to top-level cricket.
Image Credit: ANI
4. Threats
The one of the biggest threats is that Rajasthan Royals’ most expensive buy at the IPL 2025 Auction, Jofra Archer has a history of injuries, which could pose a major concern in the bowling attack. Over the last few years, Archer’s career has been plagued with injuries on his elbow and back and he was even ruled out of the IPL in the last two seasons. Royals would be hoping that Archer will be away from injuries throughout the season, ensuring that pace bowling attack does not look fragile.
Another biggest threat is RR’s over-reliance on key batters Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag. While three have been in excellent form, the injuries or dip in form to either of them, might disrupt the team’s combination and run-scoring ability. Someone like Dhruv Jurel needs to step up when the team needs him the most. With Dravid at the helm as a head coach, he is likely to identify potential players in the squad who can take responsibility in crucial situations.
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