Rajasthan Royal is a franchise of the Indian Premier League, which joined it in 2008. The captains of Rajasthan Royals have played an important role in the success of IPL. In 2013, this team was involved in betting scandals and again this franchise was banned in 2016-2017 due to match-fixing allegations.
1. Shane Warne
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Shane Warne is one of the best and first captains of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2008. Shane. Shane Warne, who is an Australian cricketer and one of the best spin bowlers ever was also like a coach. He made smart decisions, knew how to play the game well, and encouraged his teammates. The Rajasthan Royals winning in 2008 was a bit strange in cricket. After that, Warne kept leading the team and playing for them in other IPL seasons. He was not just a leader but also a key player. He led the team from IPL 2008 to IPL 2011 which is almost 56 seasons with a 56.25% winning percentage.
2. Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, nicknamed ‘The Wall,’ was enlisted by the franchise during the Indian Premier League auction in 2012 to take over the captaincy after the retirement of Shane Warne in 2011. Dravid captained the team for two seasons and guided them to the playoffs in 2013, where they fell short in the semifinals. During the leadership of Rahul Dravid, the Royals participated in 40 matches and emerged victorious in 23 of them.
3. Shane Watson
Shane Watson is one of the third captains of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2014-2015. During the early years, Watson served as the vice-captain and interval captain for the Royals which played an important role as a good performer with both bat and ball. He was a consistent presence under the leadership of Warne, Steve Smith, and Dravid. Eventually, he captained the team in 21 matches which secured victories in only 7 and faced defeat in 11.
4. Steve Smith
Australian batsman Steven Smith had the honor of leading the Rajasthan Royals. He assumed the captaincy role in 2014, guiding the team to a fifth-place finish in the points table narrowly missing the playoffs. Despite leading the team to the playoffs in 2015, Smith could not continue as the captain the following year. Subsequently, the franchise faced a two-year ban due to a betting and match-fixing scandal but returned to the IPL in 2018. In 2018, Smith also faced a one-year ban from the Australian Cricket Board due to the ball-tampering controversy. Despite the setback, he rejoined the Rajasthan Royals in 2019 and took over the captaincy mid-season. However, his leadership could not lift the performance of the team with the Royals finishing 7th in 2019 and hitting rock bottom in 2020.
5. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was one of the fourth captains of Rajasthan Royals who became the captain in IPL 2018. Before this IPL, this franchise was banned for two years for match-fixing. And Rahane became a captain in the place of Steve Smith, as Smith was banned for ball tempering. Smith made his comeback in IPL 2019. Rahane gave up on the captaincy and again Smith took the position of captain of the team, which led to a poor result in the success of the Rajasthan Royals.
6. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is one of the best captains of Rajasthan Royals in 2021. Despite a disappointing performance in 2021, where Rajasthan Royals finished 7th in the points table the franchise retained faith in Samson and allowed him to continue as the captain in the IPL 2022. This trust in Sanju Samson paid off during the IPL 2022 season, as the team had its most successful run since the inaugural season. Rajasthan Royals missed securing the championship after reaching the final of the league. Unfortunately, they were defeated by debutants Gujarat Titans in the grand final which extended their quest for a second title.
Conclusion
Captains of Rajasthan Royals story has been like a story of change and never giving up. First, Steven Smith led the team with lots of experience. Then, the young and energetic Sanju Samson became the captain, and the team went through good and tough times.
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