With less than a week remaining before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, all ten franchises are busy fine-tuning themselves. Through training sessions and practice matches, the sides are trying to lock in the best playing XI to begin the tournament’s 19th edition on a strong note. Meanwhile, experts of the game, who are not associated with the franchises, have also started sharing their predictions regarding the season and the possible line-ups of players for different teams.
In a video on his YouTube channel, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who also has experience of playing 221 IPL matches, picked the probable playing XI of Rajasthan Royals. While naming the players, Ashwin snubbed Tushar Deshpande, a right-arm pacer who costs RR Rs 6.5 crore for his services.
RR’s Probable XI by R Ashwin: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma.
“I hope Shimron Hetmyer bats in the top four. The way he batted in the T20 World Cup 2026, he should be in the top four. Give the finishing responsibilities to Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja. I hope they go on to do that. RR have most bases covered. I think RR find themselves with so many options in the playing XI,” said Ashwin.
Sri Lanka all-rounder Dasun Shanaka is set to replace the injured Sam Curran at Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026, according to ESPNcricinfo. Shanaka has informed the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars about the move. The formalities for the switch are currently being finalised.
Rajasthan Royals will start their IPL campaign with a match against the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. After facing CSK, RR will lock horns with the Gujarat Titans on April 4 and then face the Mumbai Indians on April 7, followed by a clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10.