RR All Time Best Playing 11:
Shane Watson, Jos Buttler (wicket keeper), Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Shane Warne (captain), Munaf Patel, S Trivedi.
SHANE WATSON will open the batting in the All-Time 11 of RR. He also gives 4 overs of bowling to the team. This man holds the record of second-highest run-scorer and also the second-highest wicket-taker for this franchise. I bet, you can’t argue anymore about his presence in this list. He aggregated 2372 at a healthy strike rate of 141 while playing for Rajasthan Royals. He also scalped 61 wickets at an economy of 7.48 during his tenure with RR. He played a huge role by scoring more than 470 runs for RR in their title-winning season in IPL 2008. He was awarded as ’The Most Valuable Player’ of the IPL in the year 2008 and 2013. He also has 2 centuries to his name which is the most by any RR batsman. Ajinkya Rahane is the other RR Player who scored 2 centuries for RR.
JOS BUTTLER will accompany Watson at the top in the All-Time 11 of RR. He’ll also keep the gloves for the team. The Aussie – English combination of Watson and Buttler will be breathtaking to watch. Buttler has been sensational with the bat by the time he was roped in the team in the year 2018. He scored more than 850 runs in the 2 seasons he played for RR. These runs have come at an average of 47 and with a brilliant strike rate of 153.94. He can give the perfect flying start which gives an early advantage to the team.
AJINKYA RAHANE is at No.3 in the All-Time 11 of RR. This lad has a long term association with the franchise. He is the highest run-getter for Rajasthan Royals with 2810 runs to his name. He is the man who has scored the most half-centuries (17) and centuries (2) for this franchise. His unbeaten 105 in the year 2019 is also the highest individual score by any RR batsman in the history of the IPL. He also holds the record of hitting 6 consecutive fours in an over. He is a class act who has the ability to time and place the ball. He is a must pick in any All-Time 11 of RR.
SANJU SAMSON makes the cut in the All-Time 11 of RR. He is only behind Rahane when it comes to the highest run-scorer among the Indian batsman for the RR franchise. He aggregated more than 1500 runs at an average of 27.85 and a strike rate of 131. He is an effortless batsman who can bat deep into the innings and can also anchor the innings in the middle when the team is in trouble.
BEN STOKES will bat at No.5 in the All-Time 11 of RR. If I get a choice to pick him in any team, I’d do that with closed eyes. What hell of a player he is. He scored more than 300 runs and picked up 14 wickets during his 2-year tenure with the RR franchise. He is a star player who gives his 100% in all the three departments (batting, bowling, and fielding). You just cannot keep this man out of the game. He is in the 11 at all money.
YUSUF PATHAN will play the role of a finisher in the All-Time 11. He is a big hitter of the ball and can also give a few overs of spin bowling to the team. He has scored more than 1000 runs for RR at an extraordinary strike rate of 161 (the highest among any RR batsman who has faced a minimum of 125 balls). He was awarded as the Man of the Match for his breathtaking half-century against CSK in the final of IPL 2008 which eventually lead the team to win the first IPL title.
STUART BINNY is yet another good hitter of the ball who bats lower down the order. He is a cameo player who can score some quick-fire runs for the team during the slog overs. He can also bowl a few overs of medium pace bowling. He scored more than 700 runs batting lower down the order for RR and also accounted for 17 wickets.
SHREYAS GOPAL is one of the spinners in the All-Time 11 of RR. He has accounted for 31 tickets in the last two seasons for the Royals. He has quite a few varieties in his bowling options. He has the best average (18.80) among all the bowlers of RR. He is a game-changer with the ball.
SHANE WARNE will lead the side and he is surely an obvious choice in any All-Time 11 of RR. After all, it was under his leadership through which RR managed to win their lone IPL Trophy. He is a legendary spinner. No doubt about it. He has scalped 57 wickets for RR at an average of 25.37 and an economy of 7.27. The wily leg spinner is a world-class player. You can rely on him to get the breakthroughs any day of the week.
MUNAF PATEL will lead the pace attack in the All-Time 11 of RR. He has accounted for 33 wickets in the Rajasthan outfit at a brilliant average of 23.6 and an economy of 7.57. He is a clever bowler who can deceive the batsman with his change of pace. He is a good bowler at the death as well with the ability to bowl yorkers at will.
S TRIVEDI is the other fast bowler in the All-Time 11 of RR. He has taken 65 wickets for RR (most by any bowler of RR) at an average of 29.28 along with a decent economy of 7.58. He played a crucial role in the year 2008 which saw him scalp 13 wickets to help his team in lifting the IPL Trophy.
Some Notable names who missed out in All Time playing 11:
- Brad Hodge
- Steve Smith
- Jofra Archer
- Rahul Dravid
- Sohail Tanvir
- James Faulkner