Rajasthan Royals finished on the ninth spot in IPL 2025
Over the last few weeks, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been making headlines for reasons that they would not have hoped for. The franchise, after a history of 18 years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), stands at a point where things could go horribly wrong. One of the important points of discussion is RR released players 2026 list.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, all franchises will be involved in deriving the best combinations for their respective teams. With so many rumours doing the rounds around the Rajasthan Royals, especially about the captain Sanju Samson, the job to determine the RR retention list would be much tougher.
While the franchise was in the process of connecting with the other teams for a trade, nothing has come out of the discussions yet. However, here are four overseas players set to feature in the RR released players 2026.
The Sri Lankan mystery spinner has represented two teams in the IPL so far. However, the 25-year-old has not been able to strike a chord. In 11 matches for the champions of the maiden IPL season, Theekshana was able to scalp only 11 wickets, too less for a bowler of his calibre. To add to that, his economy in the last season (9.76) was quite high, which makes him one of the most likely players on RR released players 2026 list.
Moreover, the Rajasthan Royals might look to retain Theekshana’s teammate Wanindu Hasaranga for his all-round abilities. Though it is not certain whether Hasaranga would be on the RR retention list, he would surely be a contender. The franchise already has a spinning option in Riyan Parag, so they would not be too hell bent on keeping Theekshana.
The left-arm speedster from Afghanistan has been instrumental for his national side in the white-ball formats. However, the same has not yet been reflected in the IPL. After going unsold in 2024, the team acquired Fazalhaq Farooqi for INR 2 crore in the mega auction last year.
Having said that, the Afghan pacer only played for five matches throughout the entire season and was not able to scalp a single wicket. His economy was a whopping 12.35, far too high for a bowler bowling in the powerplay and the middle-overs. With Nandre Burger in the setup already as a left-arm pacer, the franchise would be more than happy to free Farooqi by adding him to the RR released players 2026 list.
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That would be some serious pace subtracted from the wings of the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the next season. However, it would also be important to look at the trajectory of Jofra Archer and his performances in the recent past. To add to that, injuries would be a big concern.
In the 2025 season, the English pacer garnered 11 wickets in 12 matches. Moreover, his economy read 9.47, the second-highest in his IPL career. His highlight season was in 2020/21, where he picked up 20 wickets at an economy of 6.55. But with the recent performances, the RR released players 2026 list seems to be waiting for the speedster.
The South African youngster has done quite well after rising through the ranks from the U19 Cricket World Cup. He recently made his debut in the SA20 league for Paarl Royals. However, his performances in the IPL have not garnered any promise so far.
The fact that Maphaka is a part of the Royals franchise in SA20 would make the management think about retaining him. But the Proteas took a solitary wicket from two games.
To add more context, as mentioned above, the franchise already has the services of Nandre Burger, who would be considered a much more potent threat to the batters. For that reason, Maphaka might be on the RR released players 2026 list ahead of the upcoming IPL mini auction.
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