| Players Retained | Remaining Purse for Auction | RTM |
| 6 | 41 Crores | 0 |
Rajasthan under Sanju Samson and Kumar Sangakkara enjoyed a largely good run in the last three years, but their goal of adding to their solitary trophy won in the inaugural edition of the league still remains unachieved. In Jeddah, they will have some new personnel at the auction table as Rahul Dravid was unveiled as the team’s new Head Coach after his stint with Team India got over at the end of the T20 World Cup win. With the legend back in the setup, once again, there is a great sense of ambition in the Rajasthan unit, which, for once their fans would love to see translate into a trophy.
Their ambitions, however, are likely to be severely restricted by their auction purse which at 41 crores will prevent them from going after some of the top names up for grabs. This, however, is a function of the management choosing to retain the maximum number of players allowed. Most of these names were obvious choices based on how the setup has backed these players in the recent past in their drive to build a strong India core. However, considering Rajasthan has enjoyed a bunch of star performers in the last few years, they would have ideally liked to retain the services of a few more.
Their retentions include their captain Sanju Samson, who in the last few months has shown brilliant form for Team India by scoring 3 centuries in 5 T20Is. Another Team India cricketer who’s been retained by Rajasthan is Yashaswi Jaiswal, a youngster who’s quickly emerging as the country’s most exciting batter. Apart from these, wicket keeper batter Dhruv Jurel and all-rounder Riyan Parag have also been retained by the franchise. Apart from Chennai, Rajasthan is the only other team to have benefited from the newly introduced uncapped player rule for retention. They have been able to retain Sandeep Sharma who last played for India in 2015 using that rule. The team also overlooked Shimron Hetmeyer’s rare bad season in 2024 and Hetmeyer is the only foreign cricketer retained by the franchise. The team had to let go of several star performers like Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, and with no Right To Match available, it looks difficult for most of them to find their way back to the team in 2025.
Auction Strategy ahead of IPL 2025
Having retained Jaiswal and Samson, the team has locked a solid top order. However, Jaiswal’s opening partner’s vacancy is still open and the team will have to look really hard to find someone who can fill Buttler’s big boots. The task looks even more difficult due to the budget constraints the team faces. But their solace lies in Samson being made turned into an opener in the India setup now and that can mean a Samson-Jaiswal partnership at the top for Rajasthan in 2025. In that case, the team could seek a reliable batter at number 3. In the middle order, the team has Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer, all of whom have proven themselves in the league. It’s, however, the bowling closet that looks absolutely bare right now and would need filling in the auctions.
Here are some of the players that the Rajasthan management can target at the auctions.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi – In his one season with Kolkata last year, 19-year-old Angriksh Raghuvanshi gave enough evidence of his batting pedigree. The youngster can be a good fit for Rajasthan at number 3 who have displayed a tendency to groom young talents and back them to the hilt. With Samson and Yashaswi at the top and names like Jurel and Parag to follow, Raghuvanshi will be surrounded by experience and that will help him grow as a batter as well.
Washington Sundar – Just like Team India is looking at Sundar to fill the big shoes of Ravi Ashwin, Rajasthan can also try to grab hold of the off-spinning all-rounder to fill the spot created by Aswhin’s release. However, based on his recent show in India colors and his batting development in recent years, Sundar is likely to be in demand and can trigger a bidding war. Rajasthan, with their small purse, would need to figure out how crucial is Sundar to their long term plans.
Noor Ahmad – The left arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan was a regular feature in Gujarat’s playing XI in 2023 and 2024. With his variations that he has developed by playing across the world in multiple T20 leagues, he can prove to be a huge asset for any team. Rajasthan, in the past, have shown a penchant for going in with a spin heavy attack on their home ground and hence can try to get Ahmad at the auctions.
Mukesh Kumar – The Bengal bowler made his India debut in 2023 based on his performance in the league but has since found it difficult to hold on to his place in the national side. However, as a T20 bowler, he still remains potent with his ability to bowl yorkers at the death. In case of there not being a great demand for him at the auction, Rajasthan will look to pocket him for a small sum of money.
Mohd. Shami – The fast bowler has worked very hard on his fitness in the recent months to make a comeback to the national team. It’s quite likely that he will play with a point to prove whoever he turns up for. With the injury clouds still hovering around him and age not being his best ally, Shami might not get a lot of interest in the auction. That gives Rajasthan a chance to put their money on the fast bowler who has shown in the past few years what he is capable of with the white ball.
The team should look to buy back Trent Boult in the auctions. The left-arm pacer with his ability to swing the ball always gave early breakthroughs to his team and is well-versed with the conditions at Sawai Man Singh. His experience will also be invaluable to the newer crop of bowlers in the side.
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