Can Rajasthan Royals Push for IPL Glory Again?

Since winning the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008, the Rajasthan Royals have reached just one final, losing to the Gujarat Titans in 2022.

Last year, they had a pretty underwhelming season, finishing ninth, with just four wins from 14 games.

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This year, they are ed by Assam’s Riyan Parag, who took over from Sanju Samson, who is now at the Chennai Super Kings.

As things stand, the Royals have had a decent start to the 2026 season, winning five out of their first seven games.

Dynamic Opening duo

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In terms of their batting, much of their success this season has come from the dynamic opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Sooryavanshi is the youngest player in the IPL to reach 500 career runs.

2025 was his breakthrough season, where he scored 252 runs in seven matches, at an incredible strike rate of 206.56.

This included a century against the Gujarat Titans in just 35 balls, the fastest by an Indian in the IPL.

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Sooryavanshi also featured for India in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, where he was the player of the tournament, scoring 439 runs in seven matches at an incredible strike rate of 169.49.

A serious talent, and do not be surprised if you see him play for the Indian Men’s team at some point in the near future.

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His opening partner isn’t a bad player, either.

2,411 runs in 74 matches, at a strike rate of 153.08, is a solid stat for a batsman in this format.

Jaiswal, an established player for Team India, particularly in the Test format, is one of the big stars for the Royals in the IPL.

He is another player who can also take the game away from the opposition if it’s his day.

2,411 runs in 74 IPL matches at a rate of 153.08 is a great record for an opener in this format. It shows just how dangerous he can be once he gets going.

Jaiswal and Sooryvanshi average 54.66 as an opening partnership, and have 499 runs between them in seven games.

This also makes them the fastest Indian opening pair to reach 500 partnership runs in IPL history. A feat reached in 248 balls.

Can they keep progressing as an opening pair?.

Jadeja’s Experience Critical

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Though the Royals have a lot of talented youngsters in the squad, they have also added some experienced veterans, none more so than the veteran all-rounder.

2008 was the making of Ravindra Jadeja as a cricketer, who was captained and mentored by the great Shane Warne.

Warne also nicknamed him The Rockstar; he saw him as a young kid who could do everything.

Jadeja, at the time, was confused with the name because he himself didn’t know any songs.

But the impact it had on him was immense, as it has transformed him into one of the world’s top all-rounders.

He is now a key performer for India in all formats, particularly Test cricket.

Jadeja left the Royals for the Kochi Tuskers for one season in 2011, after being banned in 2010 for holding secret negotiations with the Mumbai Indians, before his highly successful 13-year stint at the Chennai Super Kings.

How will he do on his return to the Royals?

Up next for Parag’s side is a home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, followed by a trip to New Chandigarh to face the Punjab Kings.

Can the Royals reclaim the Indian Premier League after 18 years?

Find out on World In Sport.