The inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals have been in the news for months after they treaded Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auction. The Indian opener recently had an incredible T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, and that has made fans question if they made a wrong decision.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and India player turned commentator, Aakash Chopra, however has a positive view of the Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 squad depth.
Aakash Chopra has been analysing each squad in his series on his YouTube channel. In the latest episode, he discussed the Rajasthan Royals squad of IPL 2026 in detail. Speaking of their batting unit, Chopra believes RR have done an excellent job to assemble a strong batting unit despite the absence of Sanju Samson.
“I do feel they still have an excellent batting order. If you can maintain a good batting order despite Sanju Samson leaving, it means well done. If Vaibhav Suryavanshi opens with Yashasvi Jaiswal, they then have Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran,” he said.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, RR were involved in one of the biggest trades in the history of the league. They traded out Sanju Samson to CSK in exchange for the all-round pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. RR further bolstered their squad with another trade with Delhi Capitals, giving away Nitish Rana and bringing in Donovan Ferreira.
“It’s not looking bad from anywhere. If you want more explosivity at the top, they can also play Lhuan-dre Pretorius. They have got enough and more. Despite Sanju Samson leaving, if you have so much batting ability and power, you will be a force to reckon with. They have batting might. There is no doubt about that,” he added.
Samson has been part of the Royals franchise for 12 out of 14 years. He had a brief stint with Delhi Capitals in 2016-17 before returning to the Royals. However, the captain started to have cracks in his relationship with the management last year, eventually leading to parting ways.
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Apart from a formidable batting line-up, Chopra also feels the Royals have a strong and varied bowling attack. They have the likes of Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, and Sandeep Sharma in their arsenal.
Talking about the spin department, Chopra thinks they have an upgrade for this season. Last year, RR had a Sri Lankan duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. In IPL 2026, they have an experienced Indian pair in Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi. That should give them more freedom regarding the team combination.
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