Last Updated on 5 months by Charbel Coorey

The inaugural champions of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals, have failed to lift the title since 2008. Over the years, they’ve had quality players in their squad, including 2022 where they reached the final, but failed to win the title for the second time.

They had a strong squad in IPL 2024 as well, but Jos Buttler’s absence in the playoffs hurt them badly. In the end, batting depth hurt the Royals. Shimron Hetmyer, who had been a star performer for them in lower order, failed to get going last season and Rovman Powell too failed to make an impact with the bat.

Despite that, Rajasthan had a good core with a host of Indian players in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel & Avesh Khan performing well for them. Skipper Sanju Samson too is 29 years old but quite experienced in the IPL.

Along with this, they had a great mix of experience as well with Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Sandeep Sharma being the key players for the men in pink.

IPL 2025 Retention Rules

Teams are allowed to retain up to 6 Players either through direct retentions or using the Right to Match (RTM). There is no limit for the retentions of overseas players but teams can retain a maximum of two uncapped players. Any Indian player who has last played in international cricket 5+ years ago and has no central contract from the BCCI can be retained as an “uncapped player”.

RTMs will depend on the number of retentions (6 – No. of Players Retained). The salary caps for the retained players is:

• 1st Retention: 18 Crores
• 2nd Retention: 14 Crores
• 3rd Retention: 11 Crores
• 4th Retention: 18 Crores
• 5th Retention: 14 Crores
• Uncapped Player: 4 Crores

So teams will have to be cautious while retaining the 4th & 5th player as releasing them now and buying them back using the RTM may be a better deal as there aren’t many players who will fetch more than what the amount they’ll be retained for.

Who should RR retain for IPL 2025? Big Headaches for the Royals

With the 4th & 5th retentions costing a big chunk of the purse, there will be plenty of brainstorming for the RR management as they’ve got at least four quality players whom they’d love to retain.

But, the question is are they willing to pay 18 crores or let them into the auction and buy back using the RTM?

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson will be the first retention for the Royals. He is a integral part of their set-up and has performed well for them over the years. Sanju scored 531 runs in 15 innings last year at an average of 48.30 and struck at 153.50, including five fifties.

He has scored 450+ runs thrice in the last four years, indicating his growing consistency. Samson is young and has the experience of leading the franchise. Of course, he can also keep wickets which makes him a complete package for the Royals.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal is another no-brainer retention for the Rajasthan Royals. The young opener is currently one of the best in world cricket. Yashasvi is a game changer and a proven match-winner. He can single-handedly win games when on song which we’ve already seen in the IPL.

Jaiswal scored 625 runs in 14 games at an average of 48.10 and struck at 163.60 including 5 fifties and a century in 2023. He didn’t have as great a season as he would’ve liked in 2024 (failed to convert starts into big scores) but still scored 435 runs in 15 innings at an average of 31.10 at a rate of 155.90 including a fifty and a hundred.

Riyan Parag

IPL 2024 was the breakout season for Riyan Parag. He scored 573 runs in 14 innings at an average of 52.10 and struck at 149.20 including four half-centuries. He was a key batter for the Royals in the middle order and played some exceptional knocks last year.

Parag impressed with the ball too against Sri Lanka. He is just 22 years old, and can contribute with the bat, ball and is an excellent fielder who occupies the hot-spot positions. It may sound big, but Parag should be the third retention ahead of Jos Buttler for the Rajasthan Royals as it might backfire if they let him go into the auction.

Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma, who last played international cricket back in July 2015, can be retained by the Royals as an uncapped player. He is 31 years old and has been a key bowler for Rajasthan in the last couple of seasons. He picked up 13 wickets in 10 matches last year at an economy of 8.18 and a bowling strike rate of 17.50.

He has been done well in the death overs and he’s very experienced in the IPL. Getting a good domestic pacer at 4 crores will be a good deal for the Royals.

Rajasthan Royals RTM Options

Jos Buttler

It may sound a bit insane when someone suggests that a T20 franchise shouldn’t retain Jos Buttler in the side. However, that’s the predicament RR find themselves in. The fourth retention will cost Rajasthan 18 crores and they can’t really let go of anyone from Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag.

Buttler has had a couple of decent seasons in the last two years. He scored 359 runs in 11 innings in IPL 2024. His average was 39.90 and struck at 140.80 and scored two centuries.

Buttler, without any doubts, is among the best in world cricket. But, he has had some fitness issues in recent times which is a bit concerning. Plus, he’s England’s white-ball captain, so there’s always the possibility of him leaving the tournament like he did back in 2024 which turned to be very costly for Rajasthan. I feel Rajasthan Royals can get him back using the RTM as he’s not expected to go for 18 crores or more in the auction.

Trent Boult

Trent Boult is one of the best pacers in world cricket. He is a genuine wicket-taker with the new ball and can bowl towards the end of the innings as well. Boult was the spearhead of RR’s pace attack in the last auction cycle but they’ll have to let him go into the auction and try getting him back using the RTM option.

Boult had 16 wickets in 15 games last year at an economy of 8.31 and a strike rate of 20. The left-arm pacer was a key player for Rajasthan and they’ll surely look to get him back in Pink for the next few years.

This how Rajasthan Royals are likely to approach the IPL 2025 retentions and they’ll mostly have their key players back if they manage to get both Buttler and Boult using the RTM in the mega auction.

They have the options of using the RTM for players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Dhruv Jurel and even Avesh Khan but all of them can be brought back without using the RTM. They have a core of young Indian players and a great opportunity to build a strong side around them.