Rajasthan Royals Retentions For IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals have had a busy retention window, retaining the maximum amount of six players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Their philosophy while retaining players was to maintain their Indian batting core, even if it meant letting go of some franchise legends.
Having retained six players, RR has zero Right to Match (RTM) cards left. This means that they cannot use RTM to get back some of their biggest names.
Having retained all six players, five of which are capped, the Royals have spent a massive amount, Rs. 79 crore to be exact. This leaves them with the smallest purse going into the auction of just 41 crores. Here are all Rajasthan Royals retentions for IPL 2025.
All Rajasthan Royals Retentions For IPL 2025
1) Sanju Samson – 18 Crore
Sanju Samson is the star captain of the Rajasthan Royals. His being retained at No. 1 for 18 crores was one of the most predictable moves in this retention cycle.
Having been the Royals’ skipper for a few years now, he leads the team well during their recent run of good league results. In 2022, RR reached the final before narrowly missing out on the playoffs in 2023. In 2024, they finished third. One of the best wicketkeeper batters in India, Samson is an absolute legend of this franchise, being its highest run scorer.
Sanju also had a 500+ run season in 2024. So his retention at No. 1 shows the Royals’ faith in him as their captain and the leader of their batting order.
2) Yashasvi Jaiswal – 18 Crore
The most promising and in-form opening batter in India, Yashasvi Jaiswal, is a classic case of how the Rajasthan Royals buy into and invest in a young talent till they blossom. And no one has blossomed better in the recent history of this franchise than Jaiswal.
Having been a U-19 star, Jaiswal spent a few years with the Royals before having his breakout season in 2023, where he scored over 600 runs at a strike rate of over 163. Since then, he has been a regular in the Indian cricket team and will be arguably the best Test batter in the world in 2024, scoring two double-centuries in a single series against England.
And despite his 2024 season not going quite as well, his being retained for 18 crore shows how much stock the franchise has put in their young superstar.
3) Riyan Parag – 14 Crore
Riyan Parag was the butt of many jokes surrounding the IPL and the Rajasthan Royals, with many fans being baffled as to why this former U-19 captain was being given so many chances despite failing on most occasions. But a switch was seemingly flipped in 2024 when the Assamese all-rounder finally had his breakout season.
Well, that is not entirely true, as, before IPL 2024, Parag had an outstanding year in domestic cricket, dragging Assam to the latter rounds of several tournaments single-handedly. But it was in the IPL in 2024 that he played some of the best cricket of his life, scoring 573 runs in 15 matches at an average of 52 and a strike rate of almost 150.
These performances resulted in Riyan Parag getting the India call-up. And his being retained for 14 crore is only an extension of the faith that the Royals have shown in him through the years.
4) Dhruv Jurel – 14 Crore
Dhruv Jurel’s retention, especially at such a high price, came as a surprise to many. While he is one of the most promising wicketkeeper-batters in India, he has not had a full breakout season in the IPL.
Having made his league debut in 2023, Jurel had a few good performances that season. But in 2024, he had a proper season, based on the new expectations imposed upon him. Dhruv is a wicketkeeper, just like team captain Sanju Samson. But where he surpasses his captain is that he has made his Test debut and did well in Rishabh Pany’s absence for team India.
If this is the price Rajasthan Royals are paying for Dhruv Jurel, they must have some massive plans for this talented cricketer.
5) Shimron Hetmyer – 11 Crore
Shimron Hetmyer has been a reliable finisher for the Rajasthan Royals since joining the team in 2022. His retention means that the Royals now have an incredible batting order already set.
In his first two seasons with the Royals, the West Indian scored 300 runs and 150+ strike rates, winning the team several games with his death over slogging.
Despite not having a good season in 2024, the Royals have shown faith in Hetmyer, retaining him for 11 crores.
6) Sandeep Sharma – 4 Crore (Uncapped)
Despite playing for India in 2015, Sandeep Sharma can be retained as an uncapped player under the ‘MS Dhoni rule’.
From falling out of the league and going unsold in 2023 to being brought into the Royals squad as a replacement, to becoming a match-winner in just two seasons. In 23 games in the past two seasons, Sharma has taken 23 wickets. Becoming somewhat of a death-over specialist, his economy has been well below 9, which is incredible for someone who bowls so much in the final few overs of an inning.
Despite being in the final few years of his career, the Rajasthan Royals have shown faith in Sandeep Sharma by retaining him and rewarding him for his fine performances in the last two seasons.
Big Players Not Retained
While this team has retained some absolute stars, the biggest news from their camp has been the release of Jos Buttler. The England T20I captain is a legend of the franchise, probably the best batter in Rajasthan Royals history. He has won the team countless big matches and even scored over 800 runs in the 2022 season. His loss is truly a big one for this side.
Other big names not retained include the highest wicket-taker in IPL history and multi-time Purple Cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal, powerplay-bowling specialist Trent Boult, legendary spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, and Indian pacers Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna.
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