Rajasthan Royals splash out though support for Trent Boult is lacking

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen and Obed McCoy were among the new overseas arrivals on day two of the IPL auction

Rajasthan Royals went on a spending spree on day two of the IPL mega auction to complete a well-balanced squad ahead of the 2022 tournament

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen and Obed McCoy were among the new overseas arrivals with 12.15 crore at their disposal on the second day. 

The franchise’s New Zealand contingent grew further with the additions of Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell after Trent Boult had been secured on day one. 

Overall the Royals looked to add quality and depth to their bowling line-up, especially with Jofra Archer moving to Mumbai.

^{Jimmy Neesham is a welcome arrival (Joe Allison/Getty Images)}

The Royals did lose out on Chetan Sakariya after they were outbid by the Dehli Capitals for the young bowler's services.

Speedster Navdeep Saini was the first and most expensive arrival on day at 2.6 crore (£254,342) and McCoy and Anunay Singh soon followed for 75 (£73,368) and 20 lakhs (£19,564), in what will be the pair’s first IPL season. 

A flurry of Indian talents then arrived at 20 lakhs each (£19,564) in the form of Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav and Shubham Garwahl.

Royals then pipped Royal Challengers Bangalore to the signature of former Indian test batter Karun Nair, who re-joined the franchise for 1.4 crore (£136,954).

"Jimmy Neesham, the fans for probably waiting for that, but we were patient and got him at base price."

They then acted quickly to bring four overseas stars in the last round, starting with one of the deals of the day as they plugged a gap at number 7 with all-rounder Neesham for just 1.5 crore (£146,736).

Coulter-Nile, 2 crore (£195,648), Van der Dussen, 1 crore (£97,824) and Mitchell, 75 lakh (£73,368) then arrived at their base prices in the space of four minutes to conclude the Royals' business.

Those smart moves at the death atoned for missing out on Odean Smith and fellow big-hitter Liam Livingstone who both joined Punjab Kings.

Royal Chief Executive Officer Jake Lush McCrum said: “We’re aiming to win the championship this year.

^{Rassie van der Dussen (Gallo Images/Getty Images)}

“Rassie Van Der Dussen, we nearly got last year. Daryl Mitchell, we really like the look of and we saw in the World Cup what he can do.

“Nathan Coulter-Nile brings experienced IPL quality and a great personality as well. Jimmy Neesham, the fans were probably waiting for that, but we were patient and got him at base price.

“We’re very happy with the end of play.”

Rajasthan Royals squad: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell