A new era under Rahul Dravid at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be built around their star-studded IPL 2025 retentions. As expected, Sanju Samson continues to be at the helm, with the fan favourite getting retained at a whopping Rs 18 crore. Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, two talents RR have backed so much, are also on the retention list. They will get Rs 18 crore and Rs 14 crore, respectively. The biggest news, however, has been the omission of Yuzvendra Chahal and Jos Buttler. Having said that, RR have also retained Shimron Hetmyer (Rs 11cr) and Dhruv Jurel (Rs 14cr), making them one of the few franchises to retain as many as six players.
RR Retentions: Samson’s legacy continues with other youngsters
Barring in two seasons, Sanju Samson has dedicated his IPL career to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) since 2013. In fact, he has played 140 IPL games for the franchise, mustering 3,742 runs at an average of 31.45 and at a SR of 141.31. His legacy continues at RR, with Samson being the top pick at Rs 18 crore.
Alongside Samson are other Indian talents who have taken IPL by storm. Both Jaiswal and Parag are part of current T20I plans and RR have truly backed the youngsters to the tilt. Parag, who has played six IPL seasons for RR, only had his breakout season earlier this year. In IPL 2024, Parag smashed 573 at an excellent SR of 149.22. The Royals continue to invest in him, with Parag (22) being one of the most talented T20 players.
Jaiswal, on the other hand, is one of the most destructive openers in world cricket currently, irrespective of the format. Had he entered the IPL auction table, Jaiswal would’ve certainly garnered bid over Rs 20 crore. However, RR have retained him at a whopping fee of Rs 18 crore, more than what SRH paid for Abhishek Sharma (Rs 14 crore). Since IPL 2023, Jaiswal has hit 1,060 runs at an amazing SR of above 160 and at an average close to 40. These are absolute surreal numbers for a talent only 22 years old.
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No Chahal, no Buttler
In what has been a shocking development, RR have let go Yuzvendra Chahal and Jos Buttler, two of their most consistent players. Something had to give, given the plethora of options RR had. In order to retain their core Indian group, they had to release Chahal and/or Buttler. While they are positive to bag both of them during the IPL 2025 mega auction via the Right to Match (RTM) card, one can never guarantee what happens at the auction.
While Buttler has seen his fair share of injuries since the T20 World Cup 2024, Chahal must be disheartened. While it was RCB who let him go after IPL 2021, this time it is RR. Chahal, however, will undoubtedly bag huge money at the auction, given he is the only player in IPL to have over 200 wickets, which is a commendable feat for a spinner.
Jurel at Rs 14cr & Hetmyer at Rs 11cr!
Apart from the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RR are the team who will enter the auction table with a reduced purse. They have retained both Jurel and Parag at a whopping Rs 14 crore each. While Jurel wasn’t confirmed as of yesterday, his acquisition shows RR’s confidence in him. RR’s batting is more or less sorted with Shimron Hetmyer.
RR retention list for IPL 2025
Retention No. 1 (Rs 18 crore)—Sanju Samson
Retention No. 2 (Rs 18 crore) – Yashasvi Jaiswal
Retention No. 3 (Rs 14 crore) – Riyan Parag
Retention No. 3 (Rs 14 crore) – Dhruv Jurel
Retention No. 3 (Rs 11 crore) – Shimron Hetmyer
Retention No. 4 (Rs 4 crore) (uncapped) — Sandeep Sharma
Purse left (0 retentions): Rs 41 crore
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