Guwahati, March 30 Rajasthan Royals (RR) fast bowler Jofra Archer said the franchise has built a squad with enough depth to reach the playoffs this season, adding that he was determined to stay fit and play for the entirety of the 2026 IPL.
RR, the 2008 IPL champions, finished ninth last year and have a new captain in Riyan Parag, after Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Ravindra Jadeja joined the franchise. The side also brought back Kumar Sangakkara as head coach after Rahul Dravid left.
“This team has a lot of depth this year. I think just before the season ended last year, we filled the remaining overseas slots as well. We had a really good draft. Also, I'm really proud of the team that we've built, and there's no reason why we shouldn't at least get to the playoffs this year,” said Archer in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.
About his fitness, Archer, who picked up 11 wickets in 12 matches last year before a thumb injury cut short his time in the tournament, said, “Well, I've been the last checked here. Hopefully, I can stay fit for the rest of the games because I want to play all this year. It's a tough one. As (Tabraiz) Shamsi tweeted today, you just have to keep taking wickets. If you bowl your spell and you're trying to save runs, it's not gonna work because every team has really good batters, and with the impact rule now as well, you have an extra one coming, so I think you just have to get wickets. Just keep taking wickets. Looking forward to it (on bowling to Samson).”
