Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals are one of the ten IPL franchises and won the title in their inaugural 2008 season under Shane Warne. Known for nurturing young talent and playing fearless cricket, they reached the final again in 2022 but have not lifted the trophy since their debut triumph.

In IPL 2025 the Royals finished seventh on the points table. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s consistent run-scoring and Riyan Parag’s middle-order contributions, the side struggled with inconsistent bowling and middle-order collapses, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Ahead of the 2026 mega auction the franchise retained Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Jofra Archer, while releasing long-time captain Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akash Madhwal. Their auction purse stands at ₹120 crore. The core strength lies in explosive batting and Archer’s express pace, yet the lack of an established wicket-keeper-batter and frontline wrist-spin is a clear weakness.

To fill these gaps they should target Devon Conway for dependable opening, Sarfaraz Khan as a middle-order anchor, and either Matheesha Pathirana or Gerald Coetzee to bolster the pace attack.