The Indian Premier League (IPL) Mini-Auction is set to take place in mid-December, and all the franchises are finalizing their retained and released players as the deadline for the IPL 2026 Retention is November 15. Rajasthan Royals (RR) are expected to release some of their key players after a disappointing IPL 2025 season.
Rajasthan finished at ninth spot in the last edition, and they want some significant changes in the squad. However, RR’s team management also had a few changes, and as per the reports, things are not going well in the RR camp. Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson is set to leave the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction.
RR has plenty of young players and some quality overseas players who can perform better in the upcoming season. But, RR might have to take some hard calls before the IPL 2026 mini-auction to add some better options in the team who can contribute for a long time.
Here are five players Rajasthan Royals might release before the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
Sanju Samson (Captain)
The Biggest and most shocking release will be captain Sanju Samson, and it’s almost confirmed that he will not play for RR in the upcoming season. RR is having trade talks with franchises like Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals.
Nitish Rana
Rajasthan bought Nitish Rana for Rs. 4.2 crore in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, but he couldn’t perform well. RR wanted an experienced player in the middle order, but Nitish could make only 217 runs in 11 matches played in the last season. Therefore, the Rajasthan Royals might release him to get more purse value so that they can invest in young talents.
Maheesh Theekshana
Sri Lankan spinner, Maheesh Theekshana, might be released ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction as he was bought for Rs. 4.4 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction, but he had a very decent performance. Theekshana has taken only 11 wickets in the last edition for Rajasthan.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
The addition of Fazalhaq Farooqi in the squad didn’t go well for Rajasthan, as he played five games and could only pick one wicket. The economy rate in the death overs was too high, which might become a key reason that RR may choose to release him.
Tushar Despande
Tushar Despande was added to the squad to manage the death overs bowling, but he had a poor average of 37.77 and conceded plenty of runs in the last few seasons in the death overs. He was released by Chennai Super Kings in 2025, and RR might release him as well to explore more reliable death over bowling options.
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