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The Inaugural IPL Cricket Champions Rajasthan Royals Journey

2024/02/10

This blog will discuss the journey of the Rajasthan Royals team in the IPL Cricket, its historical background, team recognition, home ground & Fan support, performances in the previous seasons, top performers, and rivalries in the league.

The first-ever IPL Champions, Rajasthan is a professional franchise taking part in the IPL Cricket since 2008. The team owned by Raj Kundra and other stakeholders set the stage on fire with its inaugural victory. Since then, the IPL team has not won the title and their performance has been below-par.

The Inaugural IPL Cricket Champions Rajasthan Royals Journey

A Quick History of Rajasthan Royals

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Indian Premier League (IPL) in September 2007, a Twenty20 competition set to start in 2008. The Rajasthan Royals were among the original eight teams in the inaugural IPL cricket season of 2008. The franchise, based in Jaipur, was acquired by Emerging Media with a bid of $67 million, making it the least expensive team at the time.

As of 2021, the franchise is owned by Emerging Media IPL Ltd, led by Manoj Badale, holding a 65% stake. There are minority stakeholders including Lachlan Murdoch and RedBird Capital Partners and due to complex ownership issues, this team also faced temporary expulsion from the league in 2010. Despite such major issues, the team did not stop making profits that really contributed to its value and brand.

Controversies for the Royals in IPL

In 2010, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) removed Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL. This led Rajasthan Royals to appeal in the Mumbai High Court. The court granted them a six-week participation in the ongoing investigations. The Bombay High Court rejected BCCI's appeals against this decision, allowing the IPL team to remain in the IPL.

However, in 2015, Rajasthan Royals faced a two-year ban following the Lodha Committee inquiry. The ban was because of controversial bids and undisclosed shareholders. Owner Raj Kundra received a lifetime ban. The team's return was marked by legal complications and a temporary expulsion from the league.

Home Ground and Fan Base of RR

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is where the Rajasthan Royals play their home games. This historic stadium was built during Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II's reign and is situated at the Rambagh Circle.

The stadium has a capacity of accommodating 30,000 fans and it is considered one of the finest stadiums in India, especially after renovations in 2006. While the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad has also hosted Rajasthan Royals' home matches, the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati hosted their games during the 2023 season.

After a two-year suspension, which included a ban on hosting matches for four years, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur started hosting Royals' home games again from the 2018 IPL season.

The Inaugural IPL Cricket Champions Rajasthan Royals Journey

Captains & Legendary Players who played for RR

Player

Matches

From

To

Won

Lost

Win%

Shane Warne

56

2008

2011

31

24

55.35

Shane Watson

21

2008

2015

7

11

33.33

Rahul Dravid

40

2012

2013

23

17

57.50

Steve Smith

27

2014

2020

15

11

57.50

Ajinkya Rahane

24

2018

2019

9

15

37.50

Sanju Samson

45

2021

Present

22

23

48.88

Notable Players:

Indian Players:

Rahul Dravid

Yusuf Pathan

Ajinkye Rahane

Munaf Patel

Ravindra Jadeja

Pravin Tambe

Sanju Samson

Naman Ojha

Muhammad Kaif

Jaydev Unadkat

Overseas Players:

Shane Warne

Shane Watson

Sohail Tanvir

Steve Smith

Ben Stokes

Justin Langer

Graeme Smith

Jofra Archer

Johan Botha

Damien Martin

Season-wise Performance of Rajasthan Royals IPL Team

Indian Premier League

IPL Season

Final Standings

Wins

Losses

Total

Summary

2008

1st

13

3

16

81.25%

2009

6th

6

7

14

League stage

2010

7th

6

8

14

League stage

2011

6th

6

7

14

League stage

2012

7th

7

9

16

League stage

2013

3rd

11

7

18

Playoffs

2014

5th

7

7

14

League stage

2015

4th

7

6

15

Playoffs

2016

Suspended

2017

Suspended

2018

4th

7

8

15

Playoffs

2019

7th

5

8

14

League stage

2020

8th

6

8

14

League stage

2021

7th

5

9

14

League stage

2022

2nd

10

7

17

Runners-up

2023

5th

7

7

14

League stage

Total

 

103

102

208

1 Time Champion

Top Performers for Rajasthan In IPL Cricket

Most Runs For RR

Period

Player

Matches

Runs

Innings

2013-2023

Sanju Samson

130

3403

126

2011-2019

Ajinkye Rahane

106

3098

99

2018-2023

Joss Buttler

72

2696

71

2008-2015

Shane Watson

84

2474

81

2011-2013

Rahul Dravid

52

1324

51

Most Wickets For RR

Period

Player

Matches

Wickets

Average

2008-2015

Shane Watson

84

67

27.83

2008-2013

SK Trivedi

76

93

20.55

2008-2011

Shane Warne

43

52

26.92

2013-2015

James Faulkner

41

46

30.19

2022-2023

Yuzi Chahal

43

41

30.78

Rajasthan Royals Rivalries in IPL:

The Royals do have some bitter rivals in the IPL and whenever they play against them, the cricket fans are always entertained with thrilling matches.

Rivalry with Gujrat Titans:

Gujrat Titans might be a new addition to the IPL Cricket but within two years of its inclusion in IPL, they have garnered huge success. However, both teams have developed a strong rivalry as there have been heated arguments between the players on the field. These IPL teams have been head to head in 5 matches and the Titans have dominated the record but cricket fans really predicted that the Titans and the Royals will be a rivalry to be remembered for ages.

Rivalry with Punjab Kings:

The Northern Derby is the term used for matches between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings. As both teams’ origins lie in the northern part of the country, the IPL teams have been a part of some of nail-biting matches having everything for a cricket fan. 

A famous incident happened when Ashwin ran out Jos Buttler through Mankad, the whole social media and fans of the teams were divided and that incident just added more excitement and fire to this rivalry.