Rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals level their game IPL 2022 to reach the final of the tournament for the first time since 2008. The inaugural champions faded after reaching the summit in their first season under Shane Warne – they never looked like a title contender after that, and failed to reach the season. The last. However, the mega auction of IPL 2022 helped him turn his fortunes. The Royals have done smart business and spent their big money to set up a solid playing XI. With Kumar Sangakkara leading the auction strategy, RR has roped in players such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prashant Krishna, Trent Boult, and Shimron Hetmyer and others along with their retained stars Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Bought to build a strong XI.
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Rajasthan played major cricket this season but relied heavily on Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal to get the job done in the big games, causing them an injury in the final against Gujarat Titans.
IPL 2022 Records: Played: 17; won: 11; Lost: 6; Standing: Runner-up
high point of the season
Samson & Co entered the tournament this season with a rejuvenating energy which was reflected in their performances. However, the high point of their season was their emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in 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. After defeating them, they made it to the finals. Butler, who had put in some tough performances before that competition, picked the right time to get his mojo back as he smashed RCB bowlers around the park to score his fourth century of the season. Rajasthan chased down the target of 158 runs with 11 balls to spare.
low point of the season
There was a time in the season when Rajasthan had to face defeat in three of their four matches and all the defeats were one-sided. This was enough to lower his confidence and demoralize him. The low points began with a five-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians, who were earlier on an eight-match losing streak. RR had an off-day in the field with both bat and ball, and MI took advantage of it to snatch two points. The Royals failed to contain 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 make a comeback to win their next match against Punjab Kings, but the following gave them a bitter result with a crushing 8-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals. The results jeopardized Rajasthan’s place in the playoffs, but they roared back in the later stages to finish second in the table.
captaincy decision
This was Samson’s second year as a full-time captain and he displayed tremendous growth in the department. It was a season where skipper Samson shone but batsman Samson lost his charm. He led his troops to the finals of the tournament after playing major cricket. Unlike the previous tear, he had a better side and some experienced players whom he could rely on in dire situations. He used the resources well, especially in the bowling department where he used his options well with a set plan against particular opponents. The team management also played an important role in making things easy.
Read also: Hardik Pandya’s metamorphosis
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 huge record for most runs in a season. Butler, who scored four centuries in IPL 2022, scored 863 runs in 17 matches. He surpassed David Warner’s tally of 848 – runs scored for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 – but he fell short of Kohli’s 973 runs in the same 2016 season. It was a one-man show for RR in the batting department as Buttler single-handedly led them to the IPL final with his batting performance, which was well supported by his bowlers. However, this also earned him the IPL trophy as they depended more on his form, but when he failed to convert a decent start into a big total in the final (get out for 39), Rajasthan were restricted to just 130/9 .
great disappointment
Devdutt Padikkal: The southpaw joins RR with great expectations after back-to-back impressive seasons for RCB. He failed to repeat his previous success in the new organization and finished the season with 376 runs in 17 matches. These are not bad stats but his average of 22.12 did no justice to his talent. He scored just one half-century, however, a major reason behind this was the frequent shuffling of his batting position. Padikkal was used by the Royals as an opener at No. 3 and 4, and it was the opener’s slot that worked a bit for him but the management had to move him up 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 have achieved. Reaching the final of the IPL is no easy task and the Royals have never relied on the luck or favor of any other team to continue their campaign. They had match winners in Butler and Chahal who did most of the work for them. The 2022 season was off to a good start for the former champions to bring back their glory days of the inaugural season under Shane Warne. The foundation for this season has been laid for them and Samson has a strong team to take advantage of in the coming season.
statistics
Most Runs: Jos Buttler – 873 runs
Most wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal – 27 wickets
Highest individual score: Jos Buttler – 116 vs Delhi Capitals
Best bowling statistics: Yuzvendra Chahal – 5/40 vs Kolkata Knight Riders
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