IPL 2025 Retentions: The IPL 2025 retentions ended on Thursday as all 10 franchises revealed their retention list before the mega-auction. Although there were a few teams, who had set their priorities right while the other teams made some surprising decisions and Rajasthan Royals was among them.
They had retained their skipper Sanju Samson for Rs 18 crore. He is an important part of the team as he can play the role of both a wicket-keeper batter and captain brilliantly and that is why he was their top retention. Besides Samson, the franchise retained their core group, which also includes star players.
The reason revealed why key players weren't retained in the retention list
Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and uncapped Sandeep Sharma have been retained by the franchise. But what surprised everyone was the franchise releasing their three-star players- Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, and Jos Buttler.
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Chahal has been one of their best bowlers, ever since he joined this franchise in 2022 and is also the highest wicket-taker in the history of the tournament. At the same time, Ashwin is an easy customer and he too can make significant contributions with the bat. Jos Buttler doesn't need any introduction as he is considered one of the most destructive batters in IPL.
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After the retention list was out, Rahul Dravid, who is the head coach of this franchise, explained in length about their retention strategies and how Sanju Samson played a huge role in making every decision.
“Sanju had a big role to play in these retentions. He faced a lot of difficulty, too. As a captain, he has built a lot of relationships with these players. We are very sad for the players we couldn't retain, and Sanju has worked with these players for 5-6 years now,” Dravid told reporters after the retention list was unveiled.
No RTM for RR means can't buy Buttler, and Chahal back
Rajasthan have used all their options and although they have retained their core group, they can't buy back Chahal or Buttler through the RTM card. One of the biggest reasons for releasing Buttler is his recent injury woes.
Buttler has had a topsy-turvy year till now as he remained injured for most of the year. And the franchise never wanted to take a risk due to his injuries.
But releasing Chahal is still surprising as he was their best player in the last few years and has always stood up to the occasion. But now that the franchise doesn't have RTM, they can't just buy him back.