Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (October 31) announced six retentions namely Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma for the IPL 2025 season.
Skipper Samson has been retained at a value of INR 18 crore. Under his leadership in the past four seasons, the franchise has made the playoffs twice, including a runners-up finish in IPL 2022.
The right-hander has also performed exceptionally well with the bat since taking over as captain in 2021, amassing 1835 runs in 60 innings at a strike rate of 147.59. He ended as the top-3 run-getters for RR in each of the four seasons.
"The last few seasons have truly been remarkable for our franchise. We have been able to deliver some special moments for our fans and were able to create an environment in the dressing room where some of our young talent has been groomed to be the next generation of superstars for Indian cricket," said Samson.
"I look back fondly to special memories created, some special friendships and relationships which will last a lifetime and transcend beyond the game into life and remain in our hearts forever. Ideally I would do anything to continue this journey with exactly the same team as we had in this last cycle but, unfortunately, the rules will not permit this. Hence, with great sadness in my heart we will have to part ways with some of them who have brought incredible success to the franchise and great joy to our fans. Naturally the fans and all of us continue to hope we are able to buy some, if not all, of them back at the auction," he further stated.
"I am incredibly fortunate to be able to continue this incredible journey for both myself and the franchise under the esteemed leadership of Rahul Dravid and ably supported by Kumar Sangakkara. It gives me immense pride and I accept this responsibility with the utmost humility to keep leading this franchise and team into what we all want to make into the best phase in the franchise's history," he added.
The Royals retained the services of Jaiswal, Parag, Jurel, Hetmyer and Sandeep for INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, INR 14 crore, INR 11 crore and INR 4 crore, respectively.
By retaining these six players, the inaugural PL champions subtracted a total of INR 79 crore from their overall purse of INR 120 crore. They have no RTM left and will enter the auction with a limited budget of Rs 41 crore remaining.
Reacting on the retentions, Rajasthan Royals’ new head coach Rahul Dravid said: "The franchise have been really successful and consistent over the last three years, with so many players delivering through the course of the last cycle. As we go into this new cycle, we have gone with this core of players who we believe bring something unique to this team, all being in different but exciting stages of their careers. Sanju, in particular, has been a real anchor for us-not only with his consistency on the field but also in how he leads by example, inspiring everyone around him. It has been incredibly rewarding to see this core of young Indian players grow - Yashasvi, Riyan and Dhruv - all of them having immense talent and drive. With their experience, both Sandeep and Shimron have displayed calmness under pressure, and have brought their game-changing abilities to the fold."
"For us, retaining this group isn't just about their skills, it's about extending the trust, giving ourselves a sense of stability, and putting ourselves in the best position going into the all important IPL Auction. It's certainly an exciting time for the franchise and for these players," he added.
Dravid also thanked the released players for their contributions to the Royals. "When you have this period of changes, you have to make tough decisions, because you can't keep all the players. You have to accept that and you have to do it with a heavy heart. All these players have built so many relationships with each other and with the support staff over the past few years, so it's definitely very difficult, but I would like to thank every single member for their contributions and wish them the very best for the future in the hope that we will see some of them back at the franchise again!"
(With IANS Inputs)
