IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on December 15, 2025, saw franchises splurge ₹215.45 crore on 77 players, filling all slots with intense bidding wars. Rajasthan Royals (RR) entered with a ₹16.05 crore purse after retaining a strong core and making strategic trades, spending ₹13.40 crore (now listed as ₹122.35 crore total outlay) to buy nine players and complete a 25-member squad with eight overseas stars. This smart spending left RR with ₹2.65 crore remaining, positioning them as playoff contenders under their balanced rebuild strategy.​

RR’s approach blended youth, experience, and firepower, targeting mystery spinners, pace options, and uncapped finishers to complement their retained hitters. Key auction highlights included outbidding Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi at ₹7.20 crore from a ₹2 crore base, adding middle-overs control after his release from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They also secured New Zealand pacer Adam Milne for ₹2.40 crore (base ₹2 crore) for death-over bite and South African quick Nandre Burger at ₹3.50 crore for swing, bolstering a varied attack alongside Jofra Archer‘s return.​

Rajasthan Royals stick with core and make smart additions for IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals built their IPL 2026 foundation around explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, retained at a massive ₹18 crore for his consistent T20 firepower and international pedigree. The franchise locked in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (₹14 crore via trade), keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (₹14 crore), and rising star Riyan Parag (₹14 crore), creating a dynamic top order with IPL breakout performer Vaibhav Suryavanshi (₹1.10 crore) for depth. Shimron Hetmyer stayed on at ₹11 crore as a proven finisher, while Jofra Archer‘s ₹12.50 crore retention signals high expectations from his raw pace.​

Trades brought Sam Curran (₹2.40 crore) for seam-bowling all-round utility and Donovan Ferreira (₹1 crore) for middle-order muscle. RR targeted bowling reinforcements amid spin-friendly pitches expected in 2026 venues, snapping Tushar Deshpande (₹6.50 crore), Sandeep Sharma (₹4 crore), and young guns like Kwena Maphaka (₹1.50 crore) and Kuldeep Sen (₹0.75 crore, base-matched). Uncapped buys such as Ravi Singh (₹0.95 crore from ₹0.30 crore base), Sushant Mishra (₹0.90 crore), and domestic pacers Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma, and Aman Rao (all ₹0.30 crore base) added squad balance at minimal cost

Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Complete list of sold players with their price

Salaries of RR Players in IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals have filled all 25 slots for IPL 2026, spending a total of ₹122.35 crore with ₹2.65 crore left in their purse. Here’s the full breakdown:

Also READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Full list of unsold players along with their base price

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