Rajasthan Royals To Decide On Key Retentions For IPL 2025 Auction

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) concluded their IPL 2024 journey with a 36-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2, marking an improvement from their league stage exit last season.

After narrowly missing the title in 2022 and securing a playoff spot in 2023, the Rajasthan Royals finished in the top four despite facing fatigue and missing key players due to injuries or international commitments. Prasidh Krishna's absence was mitigated by trading Avesh Khan from Lucknow Super Giants. However, Jos Buttler's early departure to play for England was a significant setback.

The inaugural champions will have to wait at least another year for their second title. The 2025 auction will be a mega auction, allowing only a limited number of player retentions, which may force RR to rebuild their squad.

Before the previous IPL Mega Auction in 2022, RR retained skipper Sanju Samson, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Buttler. Their strategic additions during the auction were reflected in their performances over the past three seasons. However, they may need to rebuild again.

Reports suggest teams will be allowed only four retentions like previous mega auctions. Franchise owners have requested the BCCI to permit up to eight retentions, but no official confirmation has been made. It is likely that a minimum of four players will be retained by each team, with a possible Right To Match (RTM) card available.

If only four players are allowed to be retained, RR will face significant challenges in deciding whom to release and retain ahead of the next auction as they aim to assemble a competitive squad for future seasons.

RR will have to release many players ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, which could take place between December 2024 and February 2025. Sanju Samson is likely to be the first retention as captain. The likes of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Avesh Khan, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, and Shimron Hetmyer are also strong contenders for retention.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been on the rise since the 2022 edition and is likely to be retained alongside Jos Buttler and Riyan Parag. These four players are expected to be retained by RR before the next auction.

Ashwin, Boult, Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, and several other Indian stars may be considered during the auction. Meanwhile, many players' time at the franchise may have ended. The biggest challenge for RR will be deciding on their remaining retention.

RR will need to make crucial decisions on using their RTM card with candidates like Avesh Khan, Chahal, and Jurel being considered. Below is the possible retention list for the Royals:

RR Retention List 2025

• Sanju Samson - retained
• Yashasvi Jaiswal - retained
• Riyan Parag - retained
• Jos Buttler - retained
• Avesh Khan - RTM