Rajasthan Royals have redeveloped their bowling attack.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) had one of the weakest bowling attacks after the mega auction last year. They did well to retain Sandeep Sharma and get Jofra Archer, but other options were either not IPL-ready or highly vulnerable at that time. RR had Akash Madhwal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande in the pace department.
The spin attack, in particular, was very fragile and lacked variations from all sections. They had Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, whose unpredictability and mystery have been decoded in IPL and are no longer the same threat. Kumar Kartikeya was the other spin option, but he hasn’t exactly progressed and wasn’t used much due to his limitations.
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A major signing for Rajasthan Royals came midway through the season when Sandeep Sharma was ruled out of IPL 2025. They were quick to sign Nandre Burger, who had previously worked with the franchise and brings a left-arm angle to the setup. Notably, they only had Maphaka as the left-arm pacer, but he needs more development to operate better on flat surfaces, while Burger can bowl with the new ball and in the middle overs.
So, it ticked a big box and already gave some variety to the attack. The real work, however, came after the auction. That phase also had the Sanju Samson trade, which allowed RR to solidify their bowling attack.
In return for a top-order batter, Rajasthan Royals opted for two different types of bowlers – a left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, and a left-arm pacer with batting capabilities, Sam Curran. Then, at the auction, they went with a fixed budget to get Ravi Bishnoi and bought him for INR 7.20 crore. Additionally, they invested in Adam Milne, another T20 specialist, and domestic performers like Sushant Mishra and Kuldeep Sen.
There were some unknown local performers, such as Brijesh Sharma and Yash Raj Punja. Vignesh Puthur and Amano Rao were other picks. Overall, Rajasthan Royals bought seven new bowlers, with only two batters.
In IPL 2026, RR have already played four bowlers bought at the auction, including two spinners. That suggests how they have completely shifted their strategy and made smart buys. The results are already visible with two solid performances with the ball to start the season.
Burger opens the attack with Archer, both of whom bring the ability to move the new ball at pace. There’s variety as well, with both capable of testing batters with shorter lengths at the same time. Then, they have the likes of Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma, who have shown tremendous control over yorkers and can mix them with slower ones with the older ball.
Notably, Tushar can also bowl with the new ball, while Burger can hit the deck hard in the middle order. So, Rajasthan Royals have the luxury of using as per the opponent and situation. Their backups also have certain attributes, which will help them replace the main pacers without many issues should the need arise.
For instance, Yudhvir can hit the deck at a good pace, Milne can bowl with the old and new ball, with good speeds, while Kuldeep Sen can produce those heavy balls on the stumps in the middle overs. Similarly, Sushant Mishra is a left-arm pacer with encouraging death-over skills, as visible in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Brijesh Sharma is a skiddy pacer with a few slower-ball tricks to work with in the middle. Kwena Maphaka also brings superior new-ball skills and has been developing those wide yorkers and other variations for slog overs.
In the spin department, Rajasthan Royals have Yash Raj, who brings a high release point and can generate additional bounce due to being tall. Vignesh Puthur is a rare left-arm chinaman bowler with a high ceiling and has already done well in limited IPL chances. So, the bowling attack suddenly looks formidable again.
Before the mega auction, RR focused heavily on getting the main batters back and went on to retain five of them. That meant they had to compromise the bowling department and settle for inferior options. They had to let Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin go in the spin attack, while Trent Boult and Avesh Khan were released in the pace section.
However, they were lucky to get two of the best options in the spin department while reworking the pace section. At this point, Rajasthan Royals would call themselves lucky to be in a strong position with ample batting quality and bowling options despite letting Sanju Samson go one season into the cycle. Bowling was their concern, but early patterns and overall depth confirm that they have recovered rather quickly after the 2025 season mess.
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