Rajasthan Royals: History, Squad, Staff, Captains

Rajasthan Royals got the lowest bid when the IPL teams were first sold but surprised everyone by winning the first season. Since then, their performance has been up and down; making the playoffs four times, but finishing sixth or lower seven times. The team has also faced problems off the field. In 2010, there was a fight over who owned the team, and in 2013, three of their players were caught for spot-fixing. Because of this, the Royals were banned for two years.

The Royals became known for buying good players at low prices and finding young talents like Ravindra Jadeja, Sanju Samson, and Yusuf Pathan. But they have also spent big, buying players like Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, and Chris Morris for huge amounts. Over the years, the team had several different captains, including Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid, Steven Smith, and now Sanju Samson. Kumar Sangakkara also joined as a cricket director.

Before the big 2022 auction, RR kept Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal and let go of some stars like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. In recent seasons, the team tried to build around Samson and young Indian players like Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.

The Royals’ biggest moment was winning the IPL in 2008. They are known for giving chances to unknown young players. But the team’s reputation also suffered from controversies, especially the spot-fixing scandal, which led to a two-year ban and a life ban for one of the owners. In 2021, they finished second-last, missing the playoffs for three years in a row, and four years later dropped to ninth place.

About Rajasthan Royals

Information
Founded	2008
Owner	Kal Somani
Full Name	Rajasthan Royals
Nick Name	RR, The Royals
Theme Song	Halla Bol
Home Ground	Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur), Barsapara Cricket Stadium (Guwahati)
Official Website	https://www.rajasthanroyals.com/

RR Coaching & Support Staff

Role	Coach / Staff
Director of Cricket & Head Coach	Kumar Sangakkara
Assistant & Fast Bowling Coach	Shane Bond
Assistant Coach	Trevor Penney
Batting Coach	Amol Muzumdar
Spin Bowling Coach	Sairaj Bahutule
Fielding Coach	Dishant Yagnik
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Rajamani Prabhu
Head Physiotherapist	John Gloster
Team Manager	Romi Bhinder
Performance Analyst	Giles Lindsay

Rajasthan Royals Squad 2026

Position	Players
Captain	Riyan Parag
Batters	Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aman Rao Perala
All-rounders	Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Yudhvir Singh
Bowlers	Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Milne, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma

Rajasthan Royals Home Ground

Feature	Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur)	Barsapara Cricket Stadium (Guwahati)
Role	Primary Home Ground	Second Home Ground
Official Name	Sawai Mansingh Stadium	Barsapara Cricket Stadium (Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium)
Location	Jaipur, Rajasthan	Guwahati, Assam
Seating Capacity	Approx. 23,185	Approx. 40,000
Pitch Report	A balanced pitch known for being a good batting track. It can assist spinners as the game progresses and has some of the largest boundaries in the IPL.	Generally a high-scoring venue with a true pitch that is excellent for batting. Dew can be a significant factor in evening matches.
Nickname	“The Fortress”	–
Highest IPL Score	217/6 (by RR vs CSK, 2023)	199/4 (by RR vs DC, 2023)
Significance	The team’s traditional home where they have a formidable win record, strongly supported by their “Halla Bol” fanbase.	Serves as RR’s second home, helping to expand the team’s fanbase into the cricket-passionate region of Northeast India.

List of RR Captains 2008 to 2026

Player	Span	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	W/L	%W	%L
Sanju Samson	2021-2025	67	33	32	1	1.03	49.25	47.76
Riyan Parag	2025-2025	8	2	6	0	0.33	25.00	75.00
Steven Smith	2014-2020	27	15	11	0	1.36	55.55	40.74
Ajinkya Rahane	2018-2019	24	9	15	0	0.60	37.50	62.50
Shane Watson	2008-2015	21	7	11	2	0.63	33.33	52.38
Rahul Dravid	2012-2013	40	23	17	0	1.35	57.50	42.50
Shane Warne	2008-2011	56	31	24	1	1.29	55.35	42.85

Rajasthan Royals Performance over the years

Year	Result	Top Batsman	Runs	Top Bowler	Wickets	Win %
2025	9th	Yashasvi Jaiswal	559	Maheesh Theekshana	11	28.5%
2024	3rd	Riyan Parag	573	Yuzvendra Chahal	18	56.25%
2023	5th	Yashasvi Jaiswal	625	Yuzvendra Chahal	21	50%
2022	2nd	Jos Buttler	863	Yuzvendra Chahal	27	58.82
2021	7th	Sanju Samson	484	Chris Morris	15	35.71%
2020	8th	Sanju Samson	375	Jofra Archer	20	43%
2019	7th	Ajinkya Rahane	393	Shreyas Gopal	20	36%
2018	4th	Jos Butler	548	Jofra Archer	15	50%
2017	Suspended	—	—	—	—	—
2016	Suspended	—	—	—	—	—
2015	4th	Ajinkya Rahane	540	Chris Morris	13	50%
2014	5th	Ajinkya Rahane	339	Pravin Tambe	15	50%
2013	3rd	Shane Watson	543	James Faulkner	28	62.50%
2012	7th	Ajinkya Rahane	560	Brad Hogg	10	43.75%
2011	6th	Rahul Dravid	343	Shane Warne	13	42.86%
2010	7th	Naman Ojha	337	Shane Warne	11	42.86%
2009	6th	Ravindra Jadeja	295	Munaf Patel	16	42.86%
2008	1st	Shane Watson	472	Sohail Tanvir	22	78.57%

                                               

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