Rajasthan Royals have most slots settled.
The RR purse in the IPL 2026 auction won’t be as high as the other teams. On the retention deadline day, the Rajasthan Royals announced a trade deal between Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja, which also included Sam Curran, as they took two players from CSK. Additionally, they didn’t release many big-budget players.
So, the RR purse won’t be as significant, even though they have a few crucial slots to fill. Hence, they must be prudent with their tactics in the auction. They can’t afford to overspend and still need to find adequate options.
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The RR purse is limited because they tried keeping things intact as much as possible. Compared to teams like KKR and CSK, they can’t afford to buy big names due to a small budget. They don’t really need too many additions either.
Who should be among RR targets in IPL 2026 auction?
RR targets in the IPL 2026 auction will be bowlers, as they already have a settled batting unit. Obviously, Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana have parted ways, but they still have enough options to work with and don’t really need many bowlers. The target should be getting more pacers and a couple of wrist spinners as a priority.
Here are some options for pacers.
- Darshan Nalkande: Darshan Nalkande can be a useful addition to the RR setup at the moment. They don’t really need first-choice pacers if Sandeep Sharma is fit, and the addition of a non-overseas pacer will boost their pace stocks. Darshan can also bat a bit.
- Simarjeet Singh: Another quality Indian pacer worth enough to have as a backup, Simarjeet Singh will be a top pick. Simarjeet has improved massively in recent times and shown his wicket-taking ability across formats. He can bowl effectively in the powerplay and middle overs.
- Chetan Sakariya: RR already have three left-arm pacers in the squad, but all of them are overseas. To have the same variety in the Indian department, RR can target Chetan Sakariya. He won’t be the first-choice option and can be a decent addition since RR have previously worked with him.
- Kuldeep Sen: Another player who has previously played for the Rajasthan Royals, Kuldeep Sen has the attributes to break the game open with his fiery bowling. He can work well in the middle and death overs, but his recent development has been stagnant since he didn’t get enough chances at the Punjab Kings. The RR purse is enough to buy someone like Kuldeep, who can be a long-term investment.
Rajasthan Royals’ primary target will be to get a quality wrist spinner in the squad. They had Wanindu Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya, but both were underwhelming and removed ahead of the auction.
- Ravi Bishnoi: RR’s primary target should be Ravi Bishnoi, who will be one of the hot properties in the auction. Bishnoi has regressed in recent years, but he still has a lot to offer and might get more assistance in Jaipur. He has previously played at this venue and can be the attacking option RR currently lack.
- Karn Sharma: Karn Sharma is a veteran who brings ample experience as a leg spinner. He did reasonably well for MI last season, but the issue with him is that he might not be good enough to be a lead spinner. RR have Ravindra Jadeja, but they might want another attacking option, which remains unclear whether Karn Sharma can offer.
- Pravin Dubey: Pravin Dubey was with Punjab Kings last season but didn’t get enough chances. He is still in the development stage, so RR will need to work a lot with him. But given the lack of options, Dubey might be a decent pick at a reasonable price.
RR might also target a few backup batters to fill the squad in the IPL 2026 auction.
- Rahul Tripathi: Despite a mediocre last season, Rahul Tripathi might be good enough to pick as a backup. He can be flexible with his batting position and bat between No.1 and 4. He brings previous IPL experience.
- Abhinav Manohar: Rajasthan Royals have traded in Donovan Ferreira, but can’t afford to rely completely on him. Hence, Abhinav Manohar can be an option to do the pace hitting. He didn’t have a great IPL 2025, but the options to do lower-order hitting are limited, and RR can opt for him.
- David Miller: RR can hardly afford an overseas player, but one slot where they can use it is on lower-order batting. Despite his expertise on the wane, David Miller still brings what few other batters do: a proven pace-hitter with match-winning ability. Maybe his price won’t be too high this time, and RR can get a solid deal.
The RR purse is limited, so they must choose which area to spend more on. Fortunately, the Rajasthan Royals have a settled unit, so they can look to settle for inferior options in the auction. They must be very smart with their picks.
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