The most unpredictable team the Indian Premier League has ever seen is the Rajasthan Royals. They were the first franchise to win the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008. The team was led by the legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne. The team had a very strong start but later struggled to win another title. Despite not winning any other title, the team has remained competitive over the years. The team is famous for backing young star players and discovering future cricketing stars.
Rajasthan Royals Overview
| Captain | Sanju Samson |
| Coach | Kumar Sangakkara |
| Home Ground | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| IPL Titles | 1 (2008) |
| Owner | Manoj Badale, RedBird Capital, Lachlan Murdoch (Emerging Media) |
RR- Rajasthan Royals Squad 2025
Batsman
Sanju Samson
Captain/WK/Batsman
Shubham Dubey
Batsman
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Batsman
Kunal Singh Rathore
WK/Batsman
Shimron Hetmyer
Batsman
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Batsman
Dhruv Jurel
WK/Batsman
Riyan Parag
Batsman
All Rounders
Nitish Rana
All-Rounders
Yudhvir Singh
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Jofra Archer
Bowler
Maheesh Theekshana
Bowler
Wanindu Hasaranga
Bowler
Akash Madhwal
Bowler
Kumar Kartikeya
Bowler
Tushar Deshpande
Bowler
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Bowler
Kwena Maphaka
Bowler
Ashok Sharma
Bowler
Sandeep Sharma
Bowler
Rajasthan Royals History
Rajasthan Royals was the first team ever to win the very first IPL season in 2008, under the captaincy of Shane Warne. Rajasthan Royals plays every match with fierce determination and the key contributions from Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, and Graeme Smith. However, in the coming years, Rajasthan Royale faced inconsistency and even struggled to qualify for playoffs. In 2013, the team was involved in a spot-fixing scandal that resulted in a two-year suspension from 2016-2017 along with Chennai Super Kings. Upon their return in 2018, the franchise has focused on nourishing young players, with stars like Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Trent Boult leading the team. Their best season after 2008 was in 2022, when they finished as runners-up, losing to the Gujarat Titans.
Rajasthan Royals Squad (2025)
| Sanju Samson (Captain) | Jos Buttler | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Riyan Parag | Devdutt Padikkal | Ravichandran Ashwin |
| Dhruv Jurel | Shimron Hetmyer | Jason Holder |
| Trent Boult | Yuzvendra Chahal | Sandeep Sharma |
| Kuldeep Sen | Obed McCoy |
Rajasthan Royals Highs
As mentioned above, Rajasthan Royals won the first-ever IPL title, led by the Australian cricketer Shane Warne. The team was the runner-up in the 2022 season with Jos Butler being the highest scorer, scoring more than 863 runs, the second-highest in a single IPL season. The franchise is known for its development of Indian stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Riyan Parag.
Rajasthan Royals Lows
The team faced a huge backlash when it was banned due to a spot-fixing scandal between the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. Raj Kundra, the team co-owner, was involved in it. Apart from that the team showed Inconsistent performance over the period between 2008 to 2022. The frequent leadership changes over the years affected the team’s stability.
Rajasthan Royals Record Table
| Season | Matches Played | Wins | Losses | No Result | Final Standing | Top Run Scorer | Top Wicket Taker |
| 2008 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | Champions | Shane Watson (472) | Sohail Tanvir (22) |
| 2009 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 6th Place | Graeme Smith (377) | Munaf Patel (16) |
| 2010 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 7th Place | Naman Ojha (377) | Shaun Tait (13) |
| 2011 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 6th Place | Rahul Dravid (343) | Shane Warne (13) |
| 2012 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 7th Place | Ajinkya Rahane (560) | Siddharth Trivedi (13) |
| 2013 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | Playoffs | Ajinkya Rahane (488) | James Faulkner (28) |
| 2014 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5th Place | Ajinkya Rahane (339) | Pravin Tambe (15) |
| 2015 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | Playoffs | Ajinkya Rahane (540) | Chris Morris (13) |
| 2016 | – | – | – | – | Suspended | – | – |
| 2017 | – | – | – | – | Suspended | – | – |
| 2018 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | Playoffs | Jos Buttler (548) | Jofra Archer (15) |
| 2019 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 7th Place | Ajinkya Rahane (393) | Shreyas Gopal (20) |
| 2020 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 8th Place | Sanju Samson (375) | Jofra Archer (20) |
| 2021 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 7th Place | Sanju Samson (484) | Chris Morris (15) |
| 2022 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | Runners-up | Jos Buttler (863) | Yuzvendra Chahal (27) |
| 2023 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5th Place | Yashasvi Jaiswal (625) | Yuzvendra Chahal (21) |
| 2024 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | Playoffs | Sanju Samson (523) | Trent Boult (18) |
FAQs About Rajasthan Royals
1. Why was the Rajasthan Royals banned from the IPL for two years?
The Rajasthan Royals were banned for two years because they were involved in a spot-fixing scandal involving Raj Kundra with Chennai Super Kings.
2. Who is the highest run-scorer for the Rajasthan Royals?
As of now, Sanju Samson holds the highest score for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 3,800+ runs for the franchise.
3. How many IPL titles have the Rajasthan Royals won?
Rajasthan Royals won the first IPL title under the great captaincy of Shane Warne, but this is the only title under RR.
4. Who is the best bowler in the Rajasthan Royals’ history?
Shane Warne, Jofra Archer, and Yuzvendra Chahal are among the best bowlers playing for the Rajasthan Royals.
5. Who was the captain of the Rajasthan Royals in 2025?
In the 2025 season of IPL, Sanju Samson continues as the captain of RR in IPL 2025.
