The inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals finished as runners-up this season. It was only the second time that RR made it to the finals. They finished second on the points table next to eventual champions, Gujarat Titans. RR won the second qualifier to play the finals. They fell short in the finals but it was a memorable tournament for RR. RR has formed a solid core that needs fine-tuning to go the distance next time around.

What went right for RR in IPL 2022?

RR had both the caps with them at the end of the season. Jos Buttler, one of RR’s retentions had a magical season. He finished a distant first on the run-charts. Buttler smashed 863 runs this season averaging 57.53. He struck at 149.05. Buttler held the record for most boundaries and sixes. Yuzvendra Chahal, who was bought for INR 6.5 crores, won the purple cap. He finished with 27 wickets this season. Sanju Samson, RR captain, finished with 450+ (458) runs this season. It was his strike rate of 146.79 that stood out.

Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Trent Boult, and Prasidh Krishna all had standout tournaments. The power of Jaiswal at the top enabled Buttler to settle in for the long haul. Hetmyer’s finishing prowess sealed a lot of games for RR. Boult and Krishna formed a potent combination with the ball.

What went wrong for RR in IPL 2022?

It was quite a fine year for RR where just a couple of low notes bought them down. They had a big hole at positions number 6 and 7. RR always had to play a batter and bowler short.

It was down to the class of the rest of the lineup that they could come this far. But this factor caught up with them in the finals. Devdutt Padikkal didn’t have the greatest of seasons. He is yet to take the plunge into the next level. RR would have ideally liked more from Riyan Parag. Ravichandran Ashwin too had a strictly decent IPL.

3 Players RR Might Release Before IPL 2023:

#3 Karun Nair

The RR team is overloaded with batsmen who love playing in the top-order. Karun Nair is ideally someone who looks at ease batting at number 3. It has been a fairly long time since Nair played an impactful knock in the IPL. He played 3 games this season scoring 16 runs. It can be argued that Nair didn’t get a long run but he failed to seize the chances that came his way. For a team that is searching for an Indian allrounder who could slot in the middle-order, RR will have to let go of Nair.

#2 Nathan Coulter-Nile

He was expected to play the role of a bowling allrounder. Nathan Coulter-Nile was a big part of RR’s plans as the team clearly lacked top-quality all-rounders. But an untimely injury in the first game ruled him out of the tournament. NCN as he is called is not getting any younger. He will turn 36 by the time IPL kicks off next year. RR will look to release him ahead of the auctions. If they wish to buy him back, they will look to get him at a minimal price.

#1 Navdeep Saini

He is one bowler who has clearly found the T20 bearings difficult. Navdeep Saini, who was once a Team India regular is now warming the benches in franchise cricket. RR showed faith in Saini in the initial stages of the tournament. But Saini was expensive in both the games. He conceded runs at just 12 per over picking 3 wickets. RR preferred Kuldeep Sen ahead of Saini. He bowled effectively to his credit. RR might release Saini ahead of the auction.