He came up with a timely show.
The RR retention list has already been a major point of discussion following the Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja trade, and another player has given a timely performance. Ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga churned out a complete show with both bat and ball during the first ODI against Pakistan, albeit in a losing cause.
Firstly, Hasaranga took three wickets for 54 runs in his 10-over spell in the first innings. He dismissed big batters like Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan to help Sri Lanka restrict the opponent to 299/5.
Later, Wanindu Hasaranga came up with a fighting fifty in the second innings while batting at No.8. He scored 59 runs in 52 deliveries, comprising seven boundaries, at a strike rate of 113.46 to keep his team in the game, but his efforts weren’t enough, as Pakistan scraped a six-run defeat.
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Still, Hasaranga was Sri Lanka’s best performer in both the batting and bowling departments to show his utility as a cricketer. On both occasions, the team needed someone to step up, and he did precisely that, even though a win would have made his efforts more valuable.
Rajasthan Royals bought Wanindu Hasaranga for INR 5.25 crore in the mega auction, but he couldn’t give consistent performances at any stage. He took 11 wickets at an average of 33.72 and conceded 9.04 runs per over in 11 innings, with a four-wicket haul.
As a batter, Hasaranga could only collect nine runs across five innings. These performances are not enough to warrant him a spot in the RR retention list, given that the franchise already has multiple loopholes to fix in the IPL 2026 auction.
Hasaranga has not been as consistent in this format, even when wickets have come his way in patches, and good spin batters have easily taken him apart. Then, his injury history suggests the Sri Lankan all-rounder can crumble anytime and can no longer act as a lead spinner.
At that price, Wanindu Hasaranga doesn’t contribute enough, and RR have multiple options in the domestic and international arena to replace him. It’s hard to see him in the RR retention list after the franchise’s performances last season, and Hasaranga has not inspired enough confidence in general after having a breakthrough 2022.
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