Rajasthan Royals (RR), the champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) inaugural season, had a forgettable campaign in 2025, finishing ninth on the points table.
Following a disastrous season, the Jaipur-based team needs a serious rebuild, with quality bowlers and finishers being a top priority for next season.
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As they prepare for the mini-auction for the 2026 season, we take a look at the list of players retained and released by them.
RR released players ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction
Rajasthan Royals have moved on from several names ahead of IPL 2026, parting ways with players like Kunal Rathore, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Akash Madhwal. These releases open up valuable purse space as RR look to reshape their core for the upcoming season.
| S. No. | Released Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kunal Rathore |
| 2 | Nitish Rana (traded to DC) |
| 3 | Sanju Samson (traded to CSK) |
| 4 | Wanindu Hasaranga |
| 5 | Maheesh Theekshana |
| 6 | Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| 7 | Ashok Sharma |
| 8 | Kumar Kartikeya |
| 9 | Akash Madhwal |
RR retained players ahead of IPL 2026 mini-auction
The young core group, led by the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag, are among the key players who are retained.
This stable retention group gives RR a solid foundation heading into the season.
READ MORE: IPL 2026: How does a player trade work?
| S. No. | Retained Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| 2 | Shimon Hetmyer |
| 3 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi |
| 4 | Luhan dre Pretorius |
| 5 | Shubham Dube |
| 6 | Donovan Ferreira (trade from DC) |
| 7 | Dhruv Jurel |
| 8 | Ravindra Jadeja (trade from CSK) |
| 9 | Sam Curran |
| 10 | Riyan Parag |
| 11 | Jofra Archer |
| 12 | Sandeep Sharma |
| 13 | Nandre Burger |
| 14 | Tushar Deshpande |
| 15 | Kewna Maphaka |
| 16 | Yudhvir Singh |
RR current squad
Here is RR's current squad:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi
- Riyan Parag
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Nitish Rana
- Shubham Dubey
- Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk)
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Yudhvir Singh Charak
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Jofra Archer
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Akash Madhwal
- Kumar Kartikeya
- Tushar Deshpande
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Kwena Maphaka
- Nandre Burger
- Ashok Sharma
- Kunal Singh Rathore (wk)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Sam Curran
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