Rajasthan Royals enter IPL 2026 with a completely transformed identity, bolstered by the blockbuster trade of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran from CSK in exchange for Sanju Samson. Under captain Riyan Parag and Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara, RR are one of the most exciting squads heading into the tournament.
RR traded Sanju Samson to CSK and received Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in return — one of the most consequential player swaps in IPL history. Jadeja adds elite all-round quality, while Curran brings versatile pace bowling and explosive lower-order batting.
RR IPL 2026 Complete Squad (25 Players)
Retained Players (16)
Player
Role
Nationality
Riyan Parag (C)
Batter / All-rounder
India
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Batter / Opener
India
Ravindra Jadeja (traded in)
All-rounder (Left-arm spin)
India
Sam Curran (traded in)
All-rounder (Left-arm fast)
England
Donovan Ferreira (traded in)
Batter / All-rounder
South Africa
Jofra Archer
Bowler (Right-arm fast)
England
Dhruv Jurel
Wicketkeeper / Batter
India
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Batter / Opener
India
Shubham Dubey
All-rounder
India
Yudhvir Singh Charak
Bowler (Left-arm fast)
India
Tushar Deshpande
Bowler (Right-arm fast)
India
Shimron Hetmyer
Batter / Finisher
West Indies
Kwena Maphaka
Bowler (Left-arm fast)
South Africa
Nandre Burger
Bowler (Left-arm fast)
South Africa
Lhuan-Dre Pretorius
All-rounder
South Africa
Sandeep Sharma
Bowler (Right-arm fast)
India
Auction Buys (9)
Player
Role
Price
Nationality
Ravi Bishnoi
Bowler (Leg spin)
₹7.20 crore
India
Adam Milne
Bowler (Right-arm fast)
₹2 crore
New Zealand
Ravi Singh
Bowler
₹95 lakh
India
Sushant Mishra
Bowler
₹90 lakh
India
Kuldeep Sen
Bowler (Right-arm fast)
₹75 lakh
India
Vignesh Puthur
Bowler
₹30 lakh
India
Yash Punja
Batter
₹30 lakh
India
Aman Rao
Bowler
₹30 lakh
India
Brijesh Sharma
Bowler
₹30 lakh
India
RR Probable Playing XI for IPL 2026
#
Player
Role
1
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Opener / Batter
2
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Opener / Batter
3
Riyan Parag (C)
Batter / All-rounder
4
Dhruv Jurel (WK)
Wicketkeeper / Batter
5
Sam Curran
All-rounder
6
Shimron Hetmyer
Finisher / Batter
7
Ravindra Jadeja
All-rounder
8
Ravi Bishnoi
Leg-spinner
9
Jofra Archer
Pacer
10
Nandre Burger
Pacer (Left-arm)
11
Tushar Deshpande
Pacer
RR IPL 2026 Strengths
Yashasvi Jaiswal — India’s most exciting young opener; his explosive batting at the top makes RR’s start fearsome.
Ravindra Jadeja — One of IPL’s all-time great all-rounders; his batting, bowling and fielding can change games single-handedly.
Jofra Archer — World-class express pacer; when fit, among the most dangerous bowlers in T20 cricket.
Ravi Bishnoi — ₹7.20 crore buy adds elite wrist-spin variety; consistently one of IPL’s top bowlers.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi — India’s teenage batting prodigy; his fearless approach at the top will keep bowlers on edge.
RR IPL 2026 Concerns
Lost Sanju Samson (traded to CSK) — a significant gap at the wicketkeeper-batsman slot; Dhruv Jurel must step up.
Riyan Parag is still building his captaincy credentials at the highest level.
Jofra Archer’s fitness history is a constant concern; RR need him fit for the full season.
RR IPL 2026 Verdict
With Jadeja and Sam Curran transforming RR’s all-round depth, Jaiswal leading a fearsome batting lineup and Archer spearheading the bowling, Rajasthan Royals are a genuine top-4 contender. Their second IPL title since 2008 is a real possibility.
KKR are IPL 2026’s most injury-hit team: Harshit Rana is out for the entire season after knee surgery, while ₹18 crore buy Matheesha Pathirana is still in Colombo rehabbing a calf injury and only arrives March 17 — giving him under 2 weeks to prepare. KKR have opted against an injury replacement.
Today is the final deadline for binding bids to buy RCB and Rajasthan Royals. Five parties have dropped out, leaving EQT Group (frontrunner at $2B+) and two others bidding for RCB, and Aditya Birla Group leading the RR race. Full breakdown of who’s in, who’s out and what happens next.
Josh Hazlewood is still awaiting medical clearance from Cricket Australia ahead of IPL 2026, putting RCB’s bowling plans in serious doubt. SRH captain Pat Cummins faces an identical fitness race. Both are being monitored by physios with just 12 days to go before the March 28 opener.
IPL 2026 full injury list: KKR in deepest trouble with Harshit Rana OUT all season and Pathirana still in Colombo. RCB’s Josh Hazlewood doubtful, LSG’s Hasaranga out 2 weeks. MS Dhoni knee rumours dismissed — he’s fully fit. RR are healthiest team. Full update for all 10 teams.
BCCI Naman Awards 2026 full winners list: Shubman Gill wins Polly Umrigar Award (2nd time), Smriti Mandhana named Best Women’s Cricketer (record 5th time), Rahul Dravid & Mithali Raj get Lifetime Achievement. Harshit Rana collects debut award on crutches.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi jokes he’ll score 2000 runs in IPL 2026 — and recalls telling Sanju Samson and Rahul Dravid “Pehla hi uda denge” before his debut. The 14-year-old RR sensation turns 15 on March 27, one day before IPL 2026 begins.
