Rajasthan Royals : The team of the neutrals

There are few neutrals in the IPL. The people are divided on their choice of franchisee based on their favourite cities, the franchisees who their favourite players play for, the owner of the franchisee or the stars who own or endorse the franchisee. However some people who still can’t take sides might just like Rajasthan to win this time.

The team seemed lost and broken after the spot fixing controversy but were still able to secure a champions league birth for themselves. Rajasthan won everyone’s heart last year with the manner in which they handled the situation. Rahul Dravid was dignified in the press and the players played like champions on the field. This endeared them to a lot of people.

The team has always been the lowest spenders and has believed in getting players based on their ROI. The team has the stamp of Rahul Dravid who has stepped aside to coach and mentor the Rajasthan franchisee this year and commands immense respect from players and fans alike.There are no big stars apart from Shane Watson in the franchisee, yet they have competed in almost every IPL they have played till now. The neutrals have even bigger reason to support them because they go into most of their matches as underdogs. People always want the underdogs to win, but an underdog who has been pushed to a corner is even more loved and supported.

They have made stars from some hitherto unknown players. Players such as Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya rahane and Stuart Binny have been backed and have made it to the India side based on their performances for the franchisee. Several lesser known players contribute immensely to make up a team which is a greater than the sum of its parts. They also play a brand of cricket which is exciting and entertaining right from the days of the enigmatic Shane Warne.

So although there will be neutrals who will have reason to back other teams, I do believe Rajasthan is the true team of the neutrals.