Rajasthan Royals bullish about David Miller's impact after Eng, Aus players' late arrival

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is set to be played in the UAE from September 19 and will go on till November 10. However, several English and Australian players who are a part of different IPL franchises are set to miss the first few matches of the IPL 2020 due to the limited-overs bilateral series between the two nations. The England-Australia series will end on September 16 but owing to the tournament's quarantine protocols, players won't be immediately allowed to join the franchises.

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Rajasthan Royals unperturbed by absence of Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler

One of the teams that will be majorly affected by the England-Australia series is Rajasthan Royals. A number of prominent players of the Rajasthan-based franchise are set to be a part of this series. Australia's Steve Smith who also happens to be the captain of Rajasthan Royals is a member of the visiting side that travels to the UK for the series. On the other hand, England haven't announced their squad but players like Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer who are key members of the Rajasthan Royals, are likely to feature in the series.

However, Rajasthan Royals' Chief Operating Officer, Jake Lush McCrum doesn't see the absence of their star players as a disadvantage. In fact, McCrum reckons that Rajasthan Royals will benefit from having a group of key players come into the IPL 2020 having just finished a competitive limited-overs series.

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During a media interaction, McCrum said that English and Australian players will be competing against each other in a high-quality series right before the IPL 2020 which has many positives because it'll enable them to be at full match fitness. He added that they will be competing at the highest level before the IPL 2020 where they'll be playing against the best players day in and day out. The Rajasthan Royals COO stated that English and Australian may miss the first match due to the protocols put in place by the BCCI but they believe the protocols are necessary to keep everyone safe.

McCrum further said that they have an excellent and high-quality team with good depth and have the ability to have an extremely competitive team to deal with the absence of these players. However, he acknowledged the prowess that the English and Australian players bring to the side saying that once these players join the squad, they will provide a huge boost to the team.

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There is still a cloud of uncertainty looming over the participation of the South Africa players in the IPL 2020 as the country's borders are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rajasthan Royals only have a solitary Proteas players in their squad in the form of David Miller. Speaking about the same, McCrum said that flights are being organised for the South African players and support staff to get them across to the UAE. 

He added that David Miller is going to be in the UAE well in advance of the IPL 2020. The RR COO opined that the South African has plenty of time for preparation and he'll be ready for the first match. He also said that they are really excited to see him in the Rajasthan Royals shirt and hopefully, theiir fans are too.

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IMAGE COURTESY: RAJASTHAN ROYALS TWITTER