Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 vs SRH- IPL 2025, Match 2

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will open their campaign in IPL 2025 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The game is scheduled to take place on Sunday (March 23) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Rajasthan Royals finished last season at the third spot in the points table. They were the most consistent team in the first half of the season, winning eight of their first nine league games. However, they could not maintain the same momentum towards the business end of the competition and finished the league stage in the third spot.

In the playoffs, the Sanju Samson-led side beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator before losing the second qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With an eye on their second title and first since 2008, Rajasthan Royals will be keen to start their season with a win. And as they gear up for the game, we are taking a look at the RR Playing 11.

Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 vs SRH- IPL 2025, Match 2:

Openers: Sanju Samson (c/wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal

Captain Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to be the two openers in the Rajasthan Royals Playing 11. While Samson batted at number three for RR last season, he is set to be promoted after the departure of Jos Buttler. Moreover, Samson has been opening the innings for India in T20Is and would like to bat at the same position for RR too.

Samson is entering this season after hitting three T20I centuries and will look to lead his side from the front. An experienced batsman, Samson has scored 4,419 runs in 167 IPL matches so far.

Jaiswal, on the other hand, will be looking to deliver with the bat once again and send a timely reminder to the national selectors about his abilities in the shortest format of the game. So far, Jaiswal has played 52 IPL games and has scored 1,607 runs with the help of two centuries and nine half-centuries.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga

Nitish Rana is likely to be a regular in the Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 this season. He was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders camp last season but managed to play only two games. An experienced batsman, Rana has scored 2,636 runs in 107 IPL matches so far, including 18 half-centuries.

He can build an inning and accelerate as per the situation. Rajasthan Royals will be relying on him to deliver with the bat at the crucial No. 3 spot.

Riyan Parag is expected to lead the charge with the bat for Rajasthan Royals' middle-order. The right-handed batsman enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season last year and will be looking to build on it. In IPL 2024, Parag had scored 573 runs with four fifties. After his success in the IPL, he also made his debut for Team India and will be looking to deliver with the bat again.

Shimron Hetmyer was the only overseas player retained by RR and the West Indies star will be looking to justify the franchise's call. An explosive middle-order batsman, Hetmyer is set to play the role of a finisher for RR this season.

Even though Samson is set to keep the wickets, young wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel is likely to feature regularly in the RR Playing 11 albeit only as a batsman. The highly-rated player has scored 347 runs in 27 IPL matches so far, including two half-centuries.

Wanindu Hasaranga is set to be the main allrounder in the RR Playing 11. Hasaranga is one of the best white-ball spinners in the world and also can play the big shots. In 26 IPL games so far, the Sri Lanka star has taken 35 wickets.

Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Maheesh Theekshana

The RR Playing 11 is likely to have three fast bowlers and one frontline spinner. Jofra Archer is set to lead the pace attack with Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma being the other pacers. Archer has played 35 games in the IPL so far and has taken 46 wickets.

Deshpande played for Chennai Super Kings in the last two seasons and impressed one and all with his wicket-taking abilities. He has taken 42 wickets in 36 IPL games so far. On the other hand, Sandeep, who was retained by RR, has taken 137 wickets in 127 matches.

Maheesh Theekshana is set to be the sole frontline spinner in the RR Playing 11 with Hasaranga being the other spin bowling option. Theekshana has played 27 IPL games so far and has taken 25 wickets.