IPL Auction 2023: The inaugural IPL champion, Rajasthan Royals, came very close to lifting their second IPL title in the 2022 season. RR advanced to the tournament’s final, but were defeated by the new franchise Gujarat Titans. Despite the fact that they finished the season as runners-up. Rajasthan did a pretty amazing job under the leadership of Sanju Samson. One of the prime reasons for their success was English white-ball skipper Jos Buttler.
Buttler ended the season as the highest run scorer (863 runs) and second highest in a season in the tournament’s history. He also scored four centuries. Apart from him, Yuzi Chahal was the leading wicket-taker with 27 wickets. Thus, the franchise will look to carry on the same performance in the upcoming season but would like to get their hands on the title this time around. That is why Rajasthan has kept the same set of players that played a crucial role in the team’s success last season.
IPL Auction 2023: Retained Players for RR
As the deadline given by the BCCI ended on November 15, all teams revealed their retained and released player lists. RR retained mostly all those players who were part of their main playing XI. Star opener Jos Buttler and West Indian star Shimron Hetmyer will be seen once again in RR jersey. Two of the finest spinners in the world right now, Chahal and Ravi Ashwin, will always be the first priority for any team. That is why their retentions were also expected.
However, one name that was a surprise was that of young top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal. But the franchise has shown trust in him despite having Yashasvi Jaiswal already on the team. Samson will be the captain of the team, which was expected. The team has also kept uncapped Indian players like Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, and KC Cariappa.
One of the reason that RR did well was their pace attack as well. The franchise has kept both of its overseas left-pacers pitchers, Trent Boult and Obed McCoy. Apart from them, the duo of star India pacers, Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini, are also part of the retained players. Overall, these are the players who did well for RR in the last season.
Retained Players: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Ashwin, Dhruv Jurel, KC Cariappa
IPL Auction 2023: Released Players for RR
Apart from the retentions, two big names that have left the team are South African batter Rassie van der Dussen and Kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell. The franchise has released both overseas stars. It was expected, as these two didn’t get much of a chance in the last season and were underused. Another Indian capped batter that wasn’t retained was middle-order batter Karun Nair. He appeared in a few games last season but failed to make an impression.
Veteran New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham was another overseas star who was released. RR couldn’t use his services much, and he just warmed the bench for almost the entire last season. Veteran Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile was another notable name who was not retained; this could be due to RR already having Bouth and McCoy as overseas quicks.
Released Players: Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Karun Nair, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch, Shubham Garhwal, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh
Remaining Purse Value for Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals have a remaining purse value of INR 13.2 crore. However, there are areas where the franchise needs to look in the auction. RR would like to sign an all-rounder who can give them a proper balance. Thus, they might go after Cameron Green, Sam Curran, or Ben Stokes.
Team Wise Retained Players List of IPL Teams
1 | Mumbai Indians |
2 | Chennai Super Kings |
3 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
4 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
5 | Gujarat Titans |
6 | Punjab Kings |
7 | Rajasthan Royals |
8 | Delhi Capitals |
9 | Lucknow Super Giants |
10 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |