# 2020 Rajasthan Royals season

The 2020 season was the 13th season for the Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals. The Rajasthan Royals are sometimes considered as the "moneyball" team of the IPL. The Royals are known to unearth obscure, high potential talent team. Steve Smith led the team. The team finished at bottom of the table with 6 wins and 8 losses. Sanju Samson scored the most runs with 375 runs and Jofra Archer took the most wickets with 2020 and earned the Player Of The Tournament.

## Background
### Player retention and transfers

The Rajasthan Royals retained 11 players and released 11.

#### Retained

    Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mahipal Lomror, Varun Aaron, Manan Vohra.

#### Released

    Ashton Turner, Oshane Thomas, Shubham Ranjane, Prashant Chopra, Ish Sodhi, Aryaman Birla, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Tripathi, Stuart Binny, Liam Livingstone, Sudheshan Midhun, Ajinkya Rahane.

### Auction

The franchise purchased the most number of the players at the IPL 2020 Auction, signing a further 11.

#### Auction

    Robin Uthappa, Jaydev Unadkat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi, David Miller, Oshane Thomas, Anirudha Joshi, Andrew Tye, Tom Curran

## Indian Premier League
### Offseason

On 13 March 2020, the BCCI postponed the tournament until 15 April, in view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. On 14 April 2020, Narendra Modi said that the lockdown in India would last until at least 3 May 2020, with the tournament postponed further. The following day, the BCCI suspended the tournament indefinitely due to the pandemic.
On 17 May 2020, the Indian government relaxed nation-wide restrictions on sports events, allowing events to take place behind closed doors. On 24 May, Indian sports minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the decision on whether or not to allow the tournament to be conducted in 2020 will be made by the Indian government based on "the situation of the pandemic". In June 2020, the BCCI confirmed that their preference was to host the tournament in India, possibly between September and October. On 24 July 2020, it was confirmed that the tournament would start from 19 September 2020.

### Group stage

On 22 September, the Rajasthan Royals started their season campaign defeating Chennai Super Kings by 16 runs. Steven Smith lost the toss and was put to bat. Rajasthan cruised past 100, and Sanju Samson posted a 74 off 32 balls before getting out, and Smith also got 69 off 47 balls as Royals posted a daunting 216 at the end of their 20 overs. Jofra Archer 27 in 8 balls and finished strongly for the royals, scoring 30 runs in the last over. Super Kings started off rapidly in their chase, getting 56 runs in the first six overs without losing a wicket. Once again Faf du Plessis got a half-century, and at the end they got to 200/6. On 27 September, Rajasthan Royals recorded their second win by chasing 223, this time it was Sanju Samson again who scored 85 runs, who played an instrumental role in Royals winning the match. On 30 September 2020 Rajasthan recorded their first loss against Kolkata Knight Riders. Kolkata batted first and put up a score of 174/6, Rajasthan failed to chase down 174 and lost the match by 37 runs. The team went on to lose 3 games. The Royals snapped their 3 match losing streak by beating Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH batted first and posted a decent score of 158/4, Rajasthan lost the big wickets, but it was the unbeaten 69 run partnership of Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag which helped Royals to win the match by 5 wickets. The Royals continued to lose against Delhi and Bangalore. But they won against Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets and then witnessed a loss against Sunrisers. But Royals were back in the game against Mumbai.Mumbai posted a good score of 195/4, but it was Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson whose 152 run partnership lead Royals to a 8-wicket win. They won against Kings XI Punjab, Ben Stokes being the Man of the Match again. They lost in the last group game against Kolkata Knight Riders by 60 runs. Therefore, Rajasthan were knocked out of the tournament finishing on 8th position.

## Squad

* Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary | Notes |
| Batsmen |||||||||
| 49 | Steve Smith | Australia | (1989-06-02) 2 June 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2019 | ₹12.5 crore (US$1.5 million) | Overseas, Captain |
| 6 | Mahipal Lomror | India | (1999-11-16) 16 November 1999 (age 24) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2018 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| 18 | Manan Vohra | India | (1993-07-18) 18 July 1993 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2019 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| 5 | Riyan Parag | India | (2001-11-10) 10 November 2001 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2019 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| 267 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | (2001-12-28) 28 December 2001 (age 22) | Left-handed | Left-arm leg break | 2020 | ₹2.4 crore (US$290,000) | |
| 10 | David Miller | South Africa | (1989-06-10) 10 June 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2020 | ₹75 lakh (US$90,000) | Overseas |
| 07 | Robin Uthappa | India | (1985-11-11) 11 November 1985 (age 38) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2020 | ₹3 crore (US$360,000) | |
| — | Aniruddha Joshi | India | (1987-11-07) 7 November 1987 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2020 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| All-rounders |||||||||
| 55 | Ben Stokes | England | (1991-06-04) 4 June 1991 (age 33) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2018 | ₹12.5 crore (US$1.5 million) | Overseas |
| 4 | Rahul Tewatia | India | (1993-05-20) 20 May 1993 (age 31) | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2020 | ₹3 crore (US$360,000) | |
| Wicket-keepers |||||||||
| 11 | Sanju Samson | India | (1994-11-11) 11 November 1994 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2018 | ₹8 crore (US$958,551.30) | |
| 63 | Jos Buttler | England | (1990-09-08) 8 September 1990 (age 34) | Right-handed | – | 2018 | ₹4.4 crore (US$527,000) | Overseas; Vice Captain |
| — | Anuj Rawat | India | (1999-10-17) 17 October 1999 (age 24) | Left-handed | – | 2020 | ₹80 lakh (US$96,000) | |
| Spin Bowlers |||||||||
| 37 | Shreyas Gopal | India | (1993-09-04) 4 September 1993 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2018 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| 43 | Shashank Singh | India | (1991-09-21) 21 September 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2019 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| 39 | Mayank Markande | India | (1997-11-11) 11 November 1997 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2020 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |
| Pace Bowlers |||||||||
| 22 | Jofra Archer | England | (1995-04-01) 1 April 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2018 | ₹7.2 crore (US$862,696.20) | Overseas |
| 77 | Varun Aaron | India | (1989-10-29) 29 October 1989 (age 34) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2019 | ₹2.4 crore (US$288,000) | |
| 3 | Ankit Rajpoot | India | (1993-12-04) 4 December 1993 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2020 | ₹3 crore (US$360,000) | |
| 99 | Jaydev Unadkat | India | (1991-10-18) 18 October 1991 (age 32) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast | 2020 | ₹3 crore (US$359,456.70) | |
| 9 | Kartik Tyagi | India | (2001-11-04) 4 November 2001 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2020 | ₹1.3 crore (US$155,764.60) | |
| 68 | Andrew Tye | Australia | (1986-12-12) 12 December 1986 (age 37) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2020 | ₹1 crore (US$120,000) | Overseas |
| 59 | Tom Curran | England | (1995-03-12) 12 March 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2020 | ₹1 crore (US$120,000) | Overseas |
| — | Oshane Thomas | Jamaica | (1997-02-18) 18 February 1997 (age 27) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | 2020 | ₹50 lakh (US$59,909.50) | Overseas |
| — | Akash Singh | India | (2002-04-26) 26 April 2002 (age 22) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2020 | ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) | |

## Administration and support staff

| Position | Name |
| Owner | Amisha Hathiramani (Tresco International Ltd), Manoj Badale (Emerging Media (IPL) Ltd), Lachlan Murdoch (Blue Water Estate Ltd) |
| COO | Jake Lush McCrum |
| Brand ambassador and mentor | Shane Warne |
| Director of cricket | Zubin Bharucha |
| Head coach | Andrew McDonald |
| Batting coach | Amol Muzumdar |
| Spin bowling coach | Sairaj Bahutule |
| Source: |

## Kit manufacturers and sponsors

| Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest Branding |
| Alcis Sports | TV9 Bharatvarsh | Red Bull | KEI Wires & Cables |
| Source : ||||
* T20 uniform

## Teams and standings
### Results by match

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Result | W | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | L |
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 |

### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | |
| 1 | Mumbai Indians (C) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 1.107 | Advance to Qualifier 1 |
| 2 | Delhi Capitals (R) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | −0.109 | Advance to Qualifier 1 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad (3rd) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0.608 | Advance to the Eliminator |
| 4 | Royal Challengers Bangalore (4th) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | −0.172 | Advance to the Eliminator |
| 5 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | −0.214 | |
| 6 | Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | −0.162 | |
| 7 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | −0.455 | |
| 8 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | −0.569 | |

## League stage

* 22 September 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Rajasthan Royals 216/7 (20 overs) | v | Chennai Super Kings 200/6 (20 overs) |
| Sanju Samson 74 (32) Sam Curran 3/33 (4 overs) | | Faf du Plessis 72 (37) Rahul Tewatia 3/37 (4 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 16 runs Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Vineet Kulkarni (Ind) and Chettithody Shamshuddin (Ind) Player of the match: Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)
* Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
* Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals) made his T20 debut.
* 27 September 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Kings XI Punjab 223/2 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 226/6 (19.3 overs) |
| Mayank Agarwal 106 (50) Ankit Rajpoot 1/39 (4 overs) | | Sanju Samson 85 (42) Mohammed Shami 3/53 (4 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 4 wickets Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Richard Illingworth (Eng) and Krishnamachari Srinivasan (Ind) Player of the match: Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field.
* Rajasthan Royals made the highest successful run-chase in Indian Premier League history.
* 30 September 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Kolkata Knight Riders 174/6 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 137/9 (20 overs) |
| Shubman Gill 47 (34) Jofra Archer 2/18 (4 overs) | | Tom Curran 54* (36) Kamlesh Nagarkoti 2/13 (2 overs) |
* Kolkata Knight Riders won by 37 runs Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan (Ind) and Chettithody Shamshuddin (Ind) Player of the match: Shivam Mavi (Kolkata Knight Riders)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field.
* 3 October 2020 15:30 Scorecard
| Rajasthan Royals 154/6 (20 overs) | v | Royal Challengers Bangalore 158/2 (19.1 overs) |
| Mahipal Lomror 47 (39) Yuzvendra Chahal 3/24 (4 overs) | | Virat Kohli 72* (53) Jofra Archer 1/18 (4 overs) |
* Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 8 wickets Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ) and Sundaram Ravi (Ind) Player of the match: Yuzvendra Chahal (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat.
* 6 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Mumbai Indians 193/4 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 136 (18.1 overs) |
| Suryakumar Yadav 79* (47) Shreyas Gopal 2/28 (4 overs) | | Jos Buttler 70 (44) Jasprit Bumrah 4/20 (4 overs) |
* Mumbai Indians won by 57 runs Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Umpires: Sundaram Ravi (Ind) and Virender Sharma (Ind) Player of the match: Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians)
* Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat.
* Kartik Tyagi (Rajasthan Royals) made his T20 debut.
* 9 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Delhi Capitals 184/8 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 138 (19.4 overs) |
| Shimron Hetmyer 45 (24) Jofra Archer 3/24 (4 overs) | | Rahul Tewatia 38 (29) Kagiso Rabada 3/35 (3.4 overs) |
* Delhi Capitals won by 46 runs Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan (Ind) and Chettithody Shamshuddin (Ind) Player of the match: Ravichandran Ashwin (Delhi Capitals)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field.
* 11 October 2020 15:30 Scorecard
| Sunrisers Hyderabad 158/4 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 163/5 (19.5 overs) |
| Manish Pandey 54 (44) Jofra Archer 1/25 (4 overs) | | Rahul Tewatia 45* (28) Rashid Khan 2/25 (4 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 5 wickets Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Yeshwant Barde (Ind) and Paul Reiffel (Aus) Player of the match: Rahul Tewatia (Rajasthan Royals)
* Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat.
* 14 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Delhi Capitals 161/7 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 148/8 (20 overs) |
| Shikhar Dhawan 57 (33) Jofra Archer 3/19 (4 overs) | | Ben Stokes 41 (35) Anrich Nortje 2/33 (4 overs) |
* Delhi Capitals won by 13 runs Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (Ind) and Nitin Menon (Ind) Player of the match: Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals)
* Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bat.
* 17 October 2020 15:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Rajasthan Royals 177/6 (20 overs) | v | Royal Challengers Bangalore 179/3 (19.4 overs) |
| Steve Smith 57 (36) Chris Morris 4/26 (4 overs) | | AB de Villiers 55* (22) Rahul Tewatia 1/30 (4 overs) |
* Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 7 wickets Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (Ind) and Nitin Menon (Ind) Player of the match: AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat.
* 19 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Chennai Super Kings 125/5 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 126/3 (17.3 overs) |
| Ravindra Jadeja 35* (30) Shreyas Gopal 1/14 (4 overs) | | Jos Buttler 70* (48) Deepak Chahar 2/18 (4 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 7 wickets Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ) and Virender Sharma (Ind) Player of the match: Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
* Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
* MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) became the first player to appear in 200 IPL matches.
* 22 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Rajasthan Royals 154/6 (20 overs) | v | Sunrisers Hyderabad 156/2 (18.1 overs) |
| Sanju Samson 36 (26) Jason Holder 3/33 (4 overs) | | Manish Pandey 83* (47) Jofra Archer 2/21 (4 overs) |
* Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 8 wickets Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Nitin Menon (Ind) and Paul Reiffel (Aus) Player of the match: Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
* Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to field.
* 25 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Mumbai Indians 195/5 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 196/2 (18.2 overs) |
| Hardik Pandya 60* (21) Shreyas Gopal 2/30 (4 overs) | | Ben Stokes 107* (60) James Pattinson 2/40 (3.2 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 8 wickets Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Umpires: Ulhas Gandhe (Ind) and Virender Sharma (Ind) Player of the match: Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
* Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat.
* Chennai Super Kings were eliminated as a result of this match.
* 30 October 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Kings XI Punjab 185/4 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 186/3 (17.3 overs) |
| Chris Gayle 99 (63) Jofra Archer 2/26 (4 overs) | | Ben Stokes 50 (26) Murugan Ashwin 1/43 (4 overs) |
* Rajasthan Royals won by 7 wickets Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZ) and Sundaram Ravi (Ind) Player of the match: Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field.
* Chris Gayle (Kings XI Punjab) became the first player to hit 1,000 sixes in T20 cricket.
* 1 November 2020 19:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Kolkata Knight Riders 191/7 (20 overs) | v | Rajasthan Royals 131/9 (20 overs) |
| Eoin Morgan 68* (35) Rahul Tewatia 3/25 (4 overs) | | Jos Buttler 35 (22) Pat Cummins 4/34 (4 overs) |
* Kolkata Knight Riders won by 60 runs Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Umpires: Nitin Menon (Ind) and Paul Reiffel (Aus) Player of the match: Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders)
* Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to field.
* Rajasthan Royals were eliminated as a result of this match.

## Statistics
### Most runs

| No. | Name | Match | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave. | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 0 | 4s | 6s |
| 1 | Sanju Samson | 14 | 14 | 1 | 375 | 85 | 28.84 | 236 | 158.89 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| 2 | Jos Buttler | 13 | 12 | 2 | 328 | 70* | 32.80 | 227 | 144.49 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 16 |
| 3 | Steve Smith | 14 | 14 | 2 | 311 | 69 | 25.91 | 237 | 131.22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 9 |
| 4 | Ben Stokes | 8 | 8 | 1 | 285 | 107* | 40.71 | 200 | 142.50 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 7 |
| 5 | Rahul Tewatia | 14 | 11 | 5 | 255 | 53 | 42.50 | 183 | 139.34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 17 |
* Source:Cricinfo

### Most wickets

| No. | Name | Match | Inns | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | BBI | Ave. | Econ. | SR | 4W | 5W |
| 1 | Jofra Archer | 14 | 14 | 55.4 | 0 | 365 | 20 | 3/19 | 18.25 | 6.55 | 16.7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Rahul Tewatia | 14 | 14 | 46.0 | 0 | 326 | 10 | 3/25 | 32.60 | 7.08 | 27.6 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Shreyas Gopal | 14 | 14 | 50.0 | 0 | 427 | 10 | 2/28 | 42.70 | 8.54 | 30.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Kartik Tyagi | 10 | 10 | 38.1 | 0 | 367 | 9 | 2/36 | 40.77 | 9.61 | 25.4 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Jaydev Unadkat | 7 | 7 | 23.0 | 0 | 228 | 4 | 2/32 | 57.00 | 9.91 | 34.5 | 0 | 0 |
* Source:Cricinfo

## Player of the match awards

| No. | Date | Player | Opponent | Result | Contribution |
| 1 | 22 September 2020 | Sanju Samson | Chennai Super Kings | Won By 16 runs | 74 (32) |
| 2 | 27 September 2020 | Sanju Samson | Kings XI Punjab | Won By 4 wickets | 85 (42) |
| 3 | 11 October 2020 | Rahul Tewatia | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Won by 5 wickets | 45* (28) |
| 4 | 19 October 2020 | Jos Buttler | Chennai Super Kings | Won by 7 wickets | 70* (48) |
| 5 | 25 October 2020 | Ben Stokes | Mumbai Indians | Won by 8 wickets | 107* (60) |
| 6 | 30 October 2020 | Ben Stokes | Kings XI Punjab | Won by 7 wickets | 2/32 (4 overs) & 50 (26) |