The Return Of Rajasthan Royals:Can They Win IPL 2018?

Many things are stacked against the team.There are other better teams on view.Their spin department is thin...

- Niji NG

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 will see the return of Rajasthan Royals, after a two-year forced hia-tus owing to the match-fix-ing scandal. They won the first edition of the IPL as dark horses under Shane Warne’s charismatic captaincy.

Can they win the 11th edition? The short answer is No.

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Many things are stacked against the team. There are other better teams on view. Their spin department is thin. And they lost the only player they had retained, who was also the designated captain, even before a ball is bowled in the IPL: Steven Smith. He is facing a one-year ban following the ball tampering incident in South Africa. The team will miss Smith as a batsman. But the good thing is that they have got a better skipper: Ajinkya Rahane. 

If they have any chances, it depends mainly on Rahane’s bold and innovative captaincy. Rahane has the right kind of team for deploying his tactical nous – most of them are capable youngsters, ready and eager to impress the cricketing world.