New Delhi: They were the inaugural champions, giving the nascent Indian Premier League its first feel-good story. That is why Rajasthan Royals are allowed a big dose of nostalgia as the premier T20 competition goes into its 19th season.

The fans of RR can look back fondly to when the boy newly nicknamed ‘rock star’ helped them become the first to show they were in the pink of health in the shortest format in 2008, while wearing a bright blue.

Ravindra Jadeja, a callow 19 then is now a wise 37 and has been more of a rock for India and for Chennai Super Kings since 2012. The current version of the allrounder is more likely to slip back into his original IPL team, like the stealthily operating fielder and catcher he still is but someone who has this knack of staying in the background while his high-profile teammates enjoy the spotlight.

Like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he is the longest running saga in the IPL. Other than Rohit, he is the only player who can boast six league titles. What Jadeja can bring to the RR camp would have been the trending story, however, in a different context. After RR faded to ninth last term, the side seemingly feeling the undercurrent of change and revamp, promises much for a new beginning, and possibly a hole.

Riyan Parag was appointed the permanent skipper last month. The attacking batter stepped up last season in a stand-in role after Sanju Samson was sidelined because of an abdominal injury. On his return, the signalling was clear as Samson didn’t get the captaincy back. A final chapter seems to have been written on Samson’s 11 years with RR, the last eight seasons at a stretch. His mentor Rahul Dravid too left after a poor season, having returned to RR after ending his India stint with a T20I high in 2024.

The Rajasthan Royals opener against Chennai Super Kings will have an interesting subtext. Samson, a player for India’s T20 World Cup defence, will walk out to open in CSK’s yellow. While chants of “chinna thala” should not come as a surprise after this high-profile switch, Parag himself could feel a touch overwhelmed if his home fans in Guwahati cheer for Dhoni, as they are likely to.

Parag is another one-team player, a teenage pick for RR like Samson was in 2013, and he is into his eighth season. The 2018 U-19 World Cup winner who can hit the ball a long way has been endorsed by the team management as a leader.

“Riyan has developed into a high-impact player and a strong presence in our group. He’s shown composure under pressure, a sharp cricketing mind, and a real understanding of how we want to play…he has the respect of the dressing room and we’re confident he will thrive in this role,” Sanga had said while making the announcement.

Parag will be expected to step up, having finished last season as the second highest run-getter (339 runs), behind Yashasvi Jaiswal. If the latter feels he should have been in that World Cup squad, this is the opportunity to stamp his T20 credentials again, which can even open up an opportunity as captain down the line.

Vaibhav the whirlwind

However, RR will be so much about Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young batter from Bihar had a whirlwind year, and he would have still only turned 15 on March 30, the day they open their campaign. If Suryavanshi’s 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans – it made him the youngest centurion in IPL and T20 and fastest to the mark by an Indian in IPL – left fans astonished at the mayhem he inflicts on the cricket ball. In the U-19 World Cup triumph that followed, he piled up 439 runs, including 175 off 80 balls in the final against England.

However, this will be the big first season for him with rival bowlers having had a good look at his game. He scored 252 runs in seven innings last year (one 100 and 50 each) at a rate of over 206. Suryavanshi has two ambitious goals.

“This is my goal: contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise,” he said at the BCCI awards function on Sunday. Asked which record he would like to own – six sixes in an over, fastest IPL century or Chris Gayle’s highest IPL and T20 score, the teenager picked the Jamaican’s record. Gayle hit 175 off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the now-defunct Pune Warriors in 2013. He also reached the fastest IPL ton during that knock – in 30 balls.

Beyond the focus on their young batters, the key to RR’s fortunes will be how the batting unit clicks as one. Shimron Hetmyer, after a solid World Cup with West Indies, can provide the power in the middle-order while Dhruv Jurel can carry the late innings charge.

Here, allrounder Sam Curran, the second player CSK let go in the Samson-Jadeja swap, could be important, as it remains to be seen if the genuine quicks deliver alongside Jadeja.

Jofra Archer’s 59 wickets have come at a modest economy of 7.89, and he leaked runs in England’s World Cup campaign. He must also stay fit. Kuldeep Sen, Adam Milne and Nandre Burger carry pace, but it could still be down to old hand Sandeep Sharma’s death-over skills.