The Rajasthan Royals will be looking to go one better in the Indian Premier League this year after falling at the final hurdle to the Gujarat Titans 12 months ago.
Since going all the way in the inaugural IPL way back in 2008, when the late, great Shane Warne was captain, the Royals have failed to add to their trophy collection.
Now the Royals are out to get back on the winners' podium for the first time in 15 years.
Here, Sporting News details all you need to know about the Royals ahead of IPL 2023.
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Rajasthan Royals IPL Stats
| Years | Matches | Wins | Losses | No Result | Win % |
| 2008 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 81.25% |
| 2009 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 46.15% |
| 2010 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42.86% |
| 2011 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 46.15% |
| 2012 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 43.75% |
| 2013 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 61.11% |
| 2014 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 50.00% |
| 2015 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 53.85% |
| 2016 | Suspended | ||||
| 2017 | Suspended | ||||
| 2018 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 46.67% |
| 2019 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 38.46% |
| 2020 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42.85% |
| 2021 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.71% |
| 2022 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 58.82% |
| Total | 195 | 96 | 94 | 5 | 49.23% |
The road hasn't always been as smooth for the Royals, who were banned from participating in the 2016 and 2017 seasons over a betting scandal.
Having won the first iteration of the tournament, the Royals were not back in the final until last where they posted 130 in the final and were chased down with 11 balls to spare.
Jos Buttler led the way with the bat, making 39 off 35 balls but their tally in Ahmedabad seemed subpar.
Trent Boult showed his skill with the ball to put early pressure on the Titans' top order and made the breakthrough by dismissing Matthew Wade for eight.
However, Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill managed to reach the total with just three wickets down.
Rajasthan Royals Squad 2023
| Player | Position | Age | Price |
| Sanju Samson (c) | Wicketkeeper-batter | 28 | INR 14 crores |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batter | 21 | INR 4 crores |
| Jos Buttler | Wicketkeeper-batter | 32 | INR 10 crores |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | 22 | INR 7.75 crores |
| Riyan Parag | All-rounder | 21 | INR 3.80 crores |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batter | 26 | INR 8.50 crores |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | All-rounder | 36 | INR 5 crores |
| Trent Boult | Bowler | 33 | INR 8 crores |
| Obed McCoy | Bowler | 26 | INR 75 lakhs |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler | 32 | INR 6.5 crores |
| Navdeep Saini | Bowler | 30 | INR 2.60 crores |
| Kuldeep Sen | Bowler | 26 | INR 20 lakhs |
| Kuldip Yadav | Bowler | 26 | INR 20 lakhs |
| KC Cariappa | Bowler | 28 | INR 30 lakhs |
| Joe Root | Batter | 32 | INR 1 crore |
| Dhruv Jurel | Wicketkeeper-batter | 22 | INR 20 lakhs |
| Donavon Ferreira | Wicketkeeper-batter | 24 | INR 50 lakhs |
| Kunal Singh Rathore | Wicketkeeper-batter | 20 | INR 20 lakhs |
| Adam Zampa | Bowler | 30 | INR 1.5 crore |
| KM Asif | Bowler | 29 | INR 30 lakhs |
| Murugan Ashwin | Bowler | 32 | INR 20 lakhs |
| Jason Holder | All-rounder | 31 | INR 5.75 crore |
| Akash Vashist | All-rounder | 28 | INR 20 lakhs |
| Abdul Basith | All-rounder | 24 | INR 20 lakhs |
The Royals have filled their bowling stocks this year with several handy additions to help bolster their ranks.
Adam Zampa will be donning the royal blue this season and the leg-spinner will be hoping to give his side an edge.
Zampa is known for his death bowling and his ability to take wickets in crucial moments to impact matches. The 30-year-old was influential in leading Australia to T20 World Cup success in 2021, taking 13 wickets in the tournament at an average of 12.
New Zealand paceman Trent Boult adds prodigious swing and the ability to impact top-order batters.
The Royals were also able to flex their muscles in the recent auction acquiring the incomparable Joe Root. The former England Test captain is making his debut in the tournament after having stints in Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
Root is no mug with the ball either, and should be able to help Zampa or Ravichandran Ashwin through the middle over to put opposition batters under pressure.
Sanju Samson will once again play his role for the Royals. He and Buttler will share the duties with the gloves behind the stumps.
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Rajasthan Royals IPL schedule
| 02-Apr Sunrisers Hyderabad | Won by 72 runs |
| 05-Apr Punjab Kings | Lost by five runs |
| 08-Apr Delhi Capitals | |
| 12-Apr Chennai Super Kings | |
| 16-Apr Gujarat Titans | |
| 19-Apr Lucknow Super Giants | |
| 23-Apr Royal Challengers Bangalore | |
| 27-Apr Chennai Super Kings | |
| 30-Apr Mumbai Indians | |
| 05-May Gujarat Titans | |
| 07-May Sunrisers Hyderabad | |
| 11-May Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| 14-May Royal Challengers Bangalore | |
| 19-May Punjab Kings |
Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium will be rocking if their boys can come together and go one step further this year, although their first two fixtures will be played at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
The Royals begin their season away at Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 2, and face the Punjab Kings in Guwahati four days later.
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