IPL 2025 auction: How do Rajasthan Royals stack up?
Rajasthan Royals (RR) acquired plenty of bowlers in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over two days. The inaugral IPL (2008) champions, RR had retained six players, including five batters ahead of the 2025 IPL auction. The likes of Jofra Archer and Wanindu Hasaranga among others were acquired by the Royals in Jeddah. Here we analyze their squad.
RR squad: 20 players (6 overseas)
Retained players: Sanju Samson (₹18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (₹18 crore), Riyan Parag (₹14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (₹14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (₹11 crore), and Sandeep Sharma (₹4 crore). Rest of squad: Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, and Ashok Sharma.
RR buy 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Like most franchises, RR took quite a few a bold calls at the mega auction. They picked Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 13-year-old Indian batter, who is now the become the youngest to earn an IPL deal. RR shelled out ₹1.1 crore for him. In January 2024, the teenager created history by becoming the second-youngest player ever to play in a Ranji Trophy game for Bihar.
Plenty of overseas bowlers in RR roster
As mentioned, the Royals had retained their core group of batters led by skipper Samson. At the auction, they went all out for bowlers like Archer, Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande, and Maheesh Theekshana, each of whom can make an impact. They also picked Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kwena Maphaka. However, this can present the Royals with a problem of plenty.
A look at RR Probable XI
RR Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (captain and wicket-keeper), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande.
