IPL is a mega T20 tournament which not only produces some hidden gems of Indian cricket but also increases the revenue for BCCI. Following the postponement of the ICC T20 World Cup, BCCI decided to schedule the money-minting tournament from 19th September to 10th November to prevent loss of revenue. As India is still suffering from the effects of the ongoing pandemic, the matches are set to be played in UAE.

UAE, having hosted the IPL previously have also hosted MMA just a few weeks ago. One reason why they were able to host the MMA during the COVID 19 crisis is because they were able to setup a bio secure bubble for everyone involved. The franchises will be allowed to travel to the UAE with 24 players each. Only Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad have more than 24 players in their squad, meaning thereby that they will have to leave one of their players behind before leaving for the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals shocked the world by winning the inaugural season of the IPL after being termed as underdogs by cricket fans and analysts. They have had some memorable moments throughout their tourney but they haven’t come close to winning another title. They will again depend on their overseas players to power them to the playoffs this time around. Their English trio of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer will be key to their fortunes in the upcoming season.

Here, we will discuss 5 potential players who could be dropped from the Royals in order to trim the squad down to 24 players: –

1. Kartik Tyagi

Kartik Tyagi was a member of India U19 squad for the World Cup which took place earlier this year. Tyagi is a swing bowler from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. While cities like Mumbai and Delhi have been known for producing a lot of talented cricketers for India, Meerut has quietly churned out the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi and Karn Sharma.

A tall right-arm bowler who can nip the ball around at pace, Tyagi was almost a prodigy who wasn’t. He made his first-class debut in 2017, a month short of his 17th birthday, but was soon laid low by injury. A dedicated recovery regimen and a positive frame of mind meant he was back to bowling in time for the 2020 U19 World Cup, where, fitter and stronger, he emerged as one of the bowlers of the tournament.

With stirring pace and swing, the 19-year-old seamer has already impressed in the World Cup in South Africa, including tearing through the Australian middle-order in the quarter-finals. Due to his potential, Rajasthan Royals paid 1.3 crore INR for him in last year’s auction but the youngster might have to wait for his chance to come.

2. Anuj Rawat

Due to the lack of facilities in his home state of Uttarakhand, Anuj Rawat’s father sent him to Delhi at the age of 11 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. Anuj went for trials and was selected for the junior team of Delhi. In 2017, he was given his debut for Delhi in first class cricket. He is getting ready for his first IPL campaign as Rajasthan Royals signed him for 80 lakh INR.

Anuj, who was the part of the victorious Indian Under-19 Asian Cup team of 2018, which defeated Bangladesh in the final, made his first-class debut in 2017 under Ishant Sharma’s captaincy for Delhi. He featured in the eleven, which also had players like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant, Navdeep Saini, Nitish Rana and Unmukt Chand.

The youngster used to take inspiration from Australian legend Adam Gilchrist because he was another left handed wicket keeper batsman. Although Anuj is still only 20 years old, he has already scored 925 runs in first class cricket, including two centuries. His highest score in T20s is an unbeaten 88 and he has the ability to clear the ropes regularly. Unfortunately, he might not be seen setting the stage on fire in the UAE.

3. Mahipal Lomror

A huge fan of Adam Gilchrist‘s explosive style of batting, Mahipal Lomror is a similar left-hander who loves to play his shots without fearing about the situation or opposition bowlers. Although Lomror started out as a specialist batsman, he slowly developed into a handy all-rounder who could bowl efficient left-arm spin. He was a part of India’s U19 setup for the 2016 World Cup.

He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 13 dismissals in six matches. Like most U19 stars these days, Lomror also landed an IPL contract as the Delhi Daredevils signed him up although he didn’t get a game for them at all and got picked up by the Rajasthan Royals in 2018. Because of his all-round ability, he can be likened to Krunal Pandya.

Unlike most of the players in this list, Lomror has actually played for the Rajasthan Royals earlier. The Nagaur-born all-rounder has featured in 2 games in each of the last two campaigns. Lomror has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit since his debut and revels in the shorter formats particularly. He will hope to get more chances in the future.

4. Aniruddha Joshi

A fringe player for Karnataka, Aniruddha Joshi, is a capable hard-hitting middle-order batsman who can also bowl more than useful off-breaks. Primarily suited for the shorter formats of the game, Joshi’s exploits in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) gained him a slot in the state limited-overs team. He was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s squad in 2018 but didn’t get a look in.

Batting lower down the order, Joshi hasn’t had too many opportunities to a carve a niche for himself, but his unbeaten 73 against Rajasthan in a losing cause during the 2018 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the premier domestic T20 competition in India. Aniruddha Joshi cemented his position as a legend in KPL with one of the finest knocks under pressure as Mysore Warriors by smashing 125 in just 58 balls.

He will turn 33 years old during this season’s IPL tournament but he still hasn’t earned his debut cap in the IPL. He remained on the fringes and then got picked up by Rajasthan Royals at the 2020 auctions. Because only 24 players are allowed to travel to UAE, he could be the one to be sacrificed as compared to the youngsters he has less potential.

5. Akash Singh

At the juvenile age of 18, Akash Singh is the youngest member in the Rajasthan Royals squad for the upcoming IPL season. He was snapped up by the Raj Kundra-owned side for 20 lakh INR. A product of the U19 system, Akash Singh is a resourceful left-arm pacer who hits the deck hard and generates seam movement along with disconcerting bounce.

He was part of India’s potent bowling attack in the 2020 U19 World Cup where they finished runners-up. Like it happens with the U19 stars these days, those who make an impression in these World Cups eventually get an IPL contract. The youngster will look to follow the footsteps of Khaleel Ahmed, also a Rajasthani player, who earned fame from U19 cricket and shined in the IPL.

Being a native of Bhartpur, Rajasthan, the young man will be pleased to be representing his native State in the IPL, although it’s unlikely that he will feature in the starting XI and that is why we reckon he could be the player to be left out of the final 24-player list. Irrespective of what happens this year, Akash Singh has a lot of years on his hand and can go on to become a very good bowler in the coming years.