Rajasthan Royals IPL 2025 campaign never really took off, and they ended up ninth on the points table. They finished with only eight points from 14 games. The side avoided finishing last thanks to a slightly superior net run rate compared to Chennai Super Kings. Their biggest issue was closing out matches, as they let several seemingly won games slip away.
Before the IPL 2026 auction, Rajasthan Royals had ₹16.05 crore left in their purse. They had nine spots to fill in the squad with just one overseas slot available. Ahead of the auction, RR brought in Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira through trades to strengthen their lineup.
At the auction, their biggest buy was Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was picked for ₹7.2 crore. They used their overseas slot on New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne. Other players added to the squad included Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma and Kuldeep Sen.
Inconsistency – The Biggest Challenge for RR Over the Years
RR have built a reputation as a team that always seems strong on paper yet rarely delivers steady results on the ground. IPL 2025 was another reminder of that, as they let several games slip after being in dominant positions. Inconsistency has haunted the franchise for years and continues to hold them back.
Between 2008 and 2013, Rajasthan Royals created one of the IPL’s great underdog stories by lifting the inaugural trophy under Shane Warne. They built their success around youngsters like Ravindra Jadeja and Swapnil Asnodkar, supported by names like Mohammad Kaif, while Sohail Tanvir led the bowling unit. But after that fairytale title win, RR couldn’t maintain the same level and failed to reach the playoffs in multiple seasons.
From 2014 to 2025, Rajasthan Royals had mixed results. They narrowly missed the playoffs in 2014, made a strong comeback in 2015, and returned well in 2018 after a short break from the league. Their best recent season came in 2022 when they reached the final. Since then, frequent changes and poor planning have led to disappointing performances in the last few seasons.
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RR Retained / Traded Players (IPL 2026)
| No. | Player | Role | Status | Price (₹ Cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | All-rounder | Retained | 18.00 |
| 2 | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder | Traded | 14.00 |
| 3 | Dhruv Jurel | Batter | Retained | 14.00 |
| 4 | Riyan Parag | All-rounder | Retained | 14.00 |
| 5 | Jofra Archer | Fast bowler | Retained | 12.50 |
| 6 | Shimron Hetmyer | Batter | Retained | 11.00 |
| 7 | Tushar Deshpande | Fast bowler | Retained | 6.50 |
| 8 | Sandeep Sharma | Fast bowler | Retained | 4.00 |
| 9 | Nandre Burger | Fast bowler | Retained | 3.50 |
| 10 | Sam Curran | All-rounder | Traded | 2.40 |
| 11 | Kwena Maphaka | Fast bowler | Retained | 1.50 |
| 12 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Batter | Retained | 1.10 |
| 13 | Donovan Ferreira | Batter | Traded | 1.00 |
| 14 | Shubham Dubey | Batter | Retained | 0.80 |
| 15 | Yudhvir Singh | All-rounder | Retained | 0.35 |
| 16 | Lhuan-dre Pretorius | Batter | Retained | 0.30 |
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RR Auction Buys (IPL 2026 Mini Auction)
| No. | Player | Role | Status | Price (₹ Cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ravi Bishnoi | Bowler | Bought | 7.20 |
| 2 | Adam Milne | Fast bowler (o/s) | Bought | 2.40 |
| 3 | Ravi Singh | Batter | Bought | 0.95 |
| 4 | Sushant Mishra | Fast bowler | Bought | 0.90 |
| 5 | Kuldeep Sen | Fast bowler | Bought | 0.75 |
| 6 | Yash Raj Punja | Bowler | Bought | 0.30 |
| 7 | Brijesh Sharma | Bowler | Bought | 0.30 |
| 8 | Vignesh Puthur | Bowler | Bought | 0.30 |
| 9 | Aman Rao | Batter | Bought | 0.30 |
Rajasthan Royals Kings Squad for IPL 2026
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Ravi Bishnoi, Adam Milne, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals Possible Playing XI
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shimron Hetmyer, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi.
Impact Player – Donovan Ferreira
Final Squad Size, Slots & Remaining Purse
- Total squad size: 25 players (13 retained + 3 traded + 9 bought).
- Overseas players: 8 (Hetmyer, Archer, Maphaka, Burger, Pretorius, Curran, Ferreira, Milne).
- Slots strength: All 25 slots filled (0 slots remaining).
- Remaining purse: ₹2.65Cr
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