They have a remaining purse of INR 16.05 crore.
As the IPL 2026 auction approaches, the franchises will be brainstorming their plans. What will be the RR top priorities is one of the talking points ahead of the event, which will be held on December 16. Former champions Rajasthan Royals made a massive decision ahead of the retention deadline, and will be looking to strengthen their squad.
The franchise traded out their star player Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings. They got Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange. RR made another trade by bringing in Donovan Ferreira in exchange for Nitish Rana. Later, they released Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Heading into the auction, the RR remaining purse will be INR 16.05 crore. As they aim to complete the squad, we take a look at the RR top priorities at IPL 2026 auction.
Rajasthan Royals did outstanding work in the trading window to fill the holes in their squad. They had plenty of top-order batters but a vulnerable lower middle-order. With the Samson-Jadeja trade, they corrected this to some extent. They further bolstered their lower middle order with Ferreira. As a result, their batting unit is pretty much sorted.
Looking at their arsenal, a top quality spinner, Indian seamers, and lower order hitters seem to be among the RR top priorities.
Ravi Bishnoi – The Indian spinner who has had experience of playing international cricket could be among the RR targets at IPL 2026 auction. Bishnoi was retained by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the 2025 mega auction for INR 11 crore. But he had a poor season and was let go. He is still one of the better options in the market, so expect the Rajasthan Royals to go after him.
Rahul Chahar – Another Indian leg-spinner with plenty of experience, Rahul Chahar could be one of the RR targets. He was with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous season but did not get enough opportunities. Chahar has been in decent form and could be in demand in the mini auction.
Karn Sharma – He has been part of multiple title-winning campaigns and has good experience. He was part of the Mumbai Indians squad last season, where he did a good job, but was not retained. The 38-year-old has played 90 games in the IPL, picking up 83 wickets at an economy of 8.38.
Ashok Sharma – The 23-year-old pacer from Rajasthan has been making waves in the domestic circuit. Ashok Sharma took four for 20 in the recent SMAT 2025 fixture. Earlier, he took four for 16 in four overs. He is the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 16 wickets from five games at an economy of 7.61. The pacer could be in the RR top priorities for this auction.
Auqib Nabi – The Jammu and Kashmir seamer has been in ridiculous form across formats over the last couple of years. He is expected to be in high demand in the IPL 2026 auction. Nabi has taken 11 wickets in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, at an economy of 7.91. He is an excellent operator of the new ball and can complement Jofra Archer well.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti – Earmarked as the future of India’s pace attack, Kamlesh Nagarkoti could not develop as expected. Injuries played a big part, but he seems to be back. He is the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the SMAT 2025, with 11 scalps at an economy of 8.87.
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R Sonu Yadav – Rajasthan Royals could use someone like R Sonu Yadav, who is a good hitter down the order and can bowl. He has been among the top domestic performers in T20 cricket. He has taken five wickets and hit 43* off 25 in one of the games in the SMAT 2025. In the TNPL, he topped the bowling charts with 16 wickets and scored 133 runs.
R Rajkumar – Another lower-order hitter who could be in the RR targets. R Rajkumar was called up for trials by multiple teams and could be in demand. In the TNPL this year, he smashed 200 runs at a strike rate of 198. Recently, he blasted 93* off 45 against Uttarakhand in the SMAT 2025, coming in at No.5.
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