Rajasthan Royals have finalized their retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, with Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Sandeep Sharma set to remain with the franchise.
Samson, the team’s captain, has been a consistent performer for the Royals, leading them to the playoffs in IPL 2024. He scored 531 runs in the season, his highest tally in the IPL. Jaiswal, the young opener, has also been impressive, scoring 435 runs in IPL 2024. Parag, a versatile all-rounder, had a breakout season in 2024, scoring 573 runs and making his T20I debut for India.
Sandeep Sharma, the experienced pacer, has been a key part of the Royals’ bowling attack, taking 13 wickets in IPL 2024. He qualifies as an uncapped player due to not playing international cricket for five years.
However, England’s Jos Buttler and India’s Yuzvendra Chahal, who were key players in the Royals’ run to the finals in IPL 2022, are not part of the retention list. The Royals can still use their two right-to-match options to buy them back at the auction.
The Royals are also considering retaining wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who has impressed with his cameos in the lower order. If Jurel is retained, the Royals will lose at least INR 65 crore from their overall purse, leaving them INR 55 crore at the auction.
The IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained, but the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts. The Royals will lose at least INR 47 crore from their purse for retaining four players.
The deadline for franchises to submit their list of retained players is October 31. The teams can retain up to six players each, with a maximum of five capped internationals and two uncapped players.
