IPL: How RR’s return to Jaipur in 2023 will impact Playing XI and team strategy

The return to the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur will help Rajasthan Royals to play to its strengths. However, that will only happen after the Royals start their campaign in Hyderabad and feature in two matches in Guwahati – slated as their second home ground. Rajasthan will also play on slow strips of Chennai and Ahmedabad before a game in Jaipur.

The initial matches will help the Royals gauge their mettle in spin-friendly conditions, one likely to be on offer later in five games in Jaipur. Rajasthan has the flair to excel at a venue where it has won 32 of the 47 matches it has played.

Skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler are the only batters in the IPL to have amassed at least 450 runs against spin with a 150-plus strike rate since 2020. The form of youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, who have dominated the run-charts in the domestic season, also augurs well for Rajasthan.

But the Royals’ spin force tops them all. R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa could unsettle visiting teams in Jaipur, where run-scoring is traditionally grinding in the first half. While it will miss the services of seamer Prasidh Krishna, particularly in the away matches, Rajasthan has the quality to overhaul with Trent Boult, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen and Obed McCoy in the mix. Rajasthan also looks well-equipped to adapt to the conditions in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Dharamsala during the league stage.