Rajasthan Royals (RR) have endured a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign, becoming the second team to be eliminated from playoff contention after a heavy 100-run defeat to Mumbai Indians in Jaipur. With just three wins from 11 matches, much of the blame is now being directed at their questionable retention and auction decisions.
Cricket experts Aakash Chopra and Abhinav Mukund believe RR’s problems began long before the tournament started. The franchise retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma for a total of ₹79 crore out of a ₹120 crore purse. This left them with limited flexibility at the auction table. Notably, they chose not to retain or re-sign proven performers like Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Avesh Khan.
Chopra, , speaking on the show, questioned the team’s decision to go with an all-Indian top order, relying on Hetmyer as the only overseas batter in the lower middle order. “You’ve got a bunch of young, talented Indian players, but where’s the senior figure to hold things together?” he said. “Buttler played that role until last year. Every strong T20 side — even India — needs someone like a Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya to bring balance and composure.”
He argued that RR’s top order, despite its promise, lacked experience and consistency. On bad days, the absence of a stabilizing presence has led to collapses — exposing the volatility that often comes with youth.
Chopra also criticized the financial logic behind some of RR’s retentions. “Dhruv Jurel was retained for ₹14 crore, and Hetmyer for ₹11 crore. Would either have fetched that much in the auction? Unlikely,” he said. “That’s ₹25 crore spent. Even if they were worth ₹16-17 crore combined, the team could’ve freed up ₹8-9 crore — enough to land a quality Indian spinner or bowler.”
While RR did bring in names like Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana, their performances have been underwhelming. Chopra felt the team missed a trick by not pursuing domestic spin options. “Hasaranga has been a good bowler internationally, but his IPL record is average. Meanwhile, Indian spinners like Chahal — who went for ₹18 crore — or promising options like Noor Ahmad weren’t seriously targeted.”
Mukund agreed with Chopra, highlighting that RR’s Indian picks at the auction haven’t delivered. “Tushar Deshpande cost them ₹6.5 crore but hasn’t made much of an impact. They also bought Nitish Rana and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but that money could’ve gone into shoring up the bowling.”
He pointed out that RR’s bowling unit last year was well-rounded, with Avesh, Chahal, Ashwin, Boult, and Sandeep forming a solid core. This season, only Sandeep was retained, which left the bowling unbalanced and underpowered.
Another gap was the lack of a genuine allrounder. Despite the Impact Player rule allowing teams flexibility, RR often found themselves without a sixth bowling option.
“They’re the only team without a proper sixth bowler even with the Impact Player rule,” Chopra said. “They’re using Riyan Parag for a couple of overs, but he’s not the answer. An allrounder could’ve provided that crucial link between the top five batters and the bowling unit — but they didn’t prioritize that in the auction either.”
In summary, Rajasthan Royals’ struggles in IPL 2025 can be traced back to strategic missteps in both retention and recruitment. They failed to retain experienced, match-winning players and then couldn’t adequately replace them at the auction. The lack of balance — especially in the bowling department and leadership in the batting lineup — has cost them dearly this season.
