The IPL 2022 runners-up Rajasthan Royals will seek a middle-order batsman and a handful of all-rounders in the IPL 2023 auction that commences on December 23. Last year’s campaign for RR was their best after 2008 when they were crowned the inaugural IPL champions. Next year, they would like to go one step further and clinch the trophy and for that to happen, they have to rope in some key personnel.
When the IPL transfer window was opened in November, they released 9 players from their squad. However, they were smart to keep their key personnel and will try to build a solid squad around them.
Who Has RR Retained for IPL 2023?
Rajasthan Royals have retained the following players –
- Sanju Samson (Captain)
- Jos Buttler
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Kuldeep Sen
- Navdeep Saini
- Shimron Hetmeyer
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Obed McCoy
- KC Cariappa
- R Ashwin
- Kuldip Yadav
- Trent Boult
- Prasidh Krishna
- Riyan Parag
- Dhruv Jurel
How Much Money Does RR Have?
The total purse amount with which Rajasthan Royals will jump into the IPL 2023 mini-auction is INR 13.2 crores. The amount seems a bit less considering the fact they have got 9 slots to fill. Out of the remaining slots, RR has 4 overseas slots that they will be looking to fill in the upcoming auction.
Skills They are Looking for
- The Royals are looking for a couple of middle-order batsmen who can complement the trio of Butler, Jaiswal and Samson at the top. They would be looking for a like-for-like replacement for James Neesham whom they let go during the transfer season
- RR would also be looking to have some backup options for their formidable bowling attack. They can either go big on reputed domestic and foreign players or might pick up some less-known domestic players, a thing they have done several times in the past
Who RR Can Target?
They have plenty of options cometh the IPL 2023 mini-auction on December 23. In the all-rounders’ category, they might go after Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Jason Holder, Sikandar Raza and Shakib Al Hasan. They can target Najibullah Zadran or Harry Brook to fill in their middle-order slot. They might be tempted to go after bowlers like Josh Little, Chris Jordan and Reece Topley. Domestic players like Shams Mulani, Chirag Gandhi, Sumeet Verma, Bikramkumar Das and others might also get picked up given their purse amount.
