IPL 2025: 5 RR players who didn't do well, but can be retained for IPL 2026

IPL 2025 did not go as the Rajasthan Royals had envisioned. Some of their high-profile signings did not justify the hype, but this is T20 cricket, and form can be short-lived, but pedigree still counts. These five RR players were underwhelming in their 2025 campaigns but have skill sets, experience, and roles in the team that make them good bets to be retained prior to IPL 2026.

1. Riyan Parag

After his fireworks in IPL 2024 with 573 runs, Parag compiled 393 runs in 14 games in the 2025 season, with just one half-century to his name. Having to bear extra captaincy duties at times, he seemed slightly short of his usual fluency, and couldn’t convert starts into big scores.

At 23, Parag's array of brilliant shots and left-handed options is still good in limited supply. A clear-cut batting role, stabiliser at No. 3 or finisher at No. 5 and severe mental toughening can help him recapture the form that rendered him RR's most engaging young cricketer last season.

2. Sanju Samson

As captain and wicketkeeper-batter, Samson managed 285 runs from nine innings, but much too often couldn't gear up when it was needed most. His scores and strike rates were without the aggression that the fans and franchise would have liked to see, and for most parts of the season, he remained under some kind of injury.

Samson is the anchor for Rajasthan, and his repertoire of strokes, leadership abilities, and experience are not easy to find. At 30, he is right on the cusp of peak T20 smarts. With a more-refined middle-over approach and cover in pressure spots, he can regain the fire that has taken RR to the playoffs regularly.

3. Tushar Deshpande

RR had expected their "Chennai recruit" to throttle middle overs, but Deshpande returned with just 9 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of nearly 10.62, which did not help the team. Too often, opposition batsmen tested his fuller lengths, and he bowled fewer overs than anticipated.

Deshpande's ability to bowl accurate slower bouncers and cutters is a good T20 value. A clearly marked bowling area in overs 7–9, coupled with off-season practice in variation and yorker delivery, can help him regain the bite that made him a sought-after seamer.

4. Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep was once an uncapped bargain, but in 10 games took 9 wickets at 9.89 economy, before a finger injury cut short his season. His off-cutters, slower balls and ungainly angles were short on customary consistency.

At his best, Sandeep's seam action in the early overs is a serious weapon. Given good management of injuries, a short-burst role in power plays, and specialist finger-strength training sessions, he can recapture the form that made him RR's under-the-radar hero last season. He is an asset Rajasthan should not lose.

5. Wanindu Hasaranga

RR counted on the Sri Lankans' "spin‑all‑rounder" label, but Hasaranga took 11 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 9.04, while his returns as a batsman were abysmal. He could not convert his googly to deliveries on slower and turning tracks, and rarely created pressure.

Hasaranga's leg‑spin remains among the fastest turning in world cricket, and on slow surfaces, he's a winner. With canny periods of bowling, most notably when the ball is hardest to bowl, off‑season work on flight and drift, he can regain the wicket‑taking mastery that brought him international renown.

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