Rajasthan Royals Likely to Release Sanju Samson and Four Others Ahead of IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished the IPL 2025 league stage in 9th place, winning only 8 points from 14 matches and missing the playoffs. Despite youthful fireworks, exemplified by Yashasvi Jaiswal, RR’s season was characterized by inconsistency, especially from key players. With IPL 2026 just around the corner, below are five players likely to be released as RR begins rebuilding to fix last year’s problems and be competitive again:
1. Sanju Samson
Samson made 9 appearances, made 285 runs with an average of 35.6 and a strike rate of 140.4, and had one half-century (top score 66). He continued to captain and brought stability; however, his peripheral showing—only 9 games with only 1 fifty—raises the question of whether RR will pursue a more aggressive and fit leader for IPL 2026. Fortunately, even though there were some rumbles involving him and RR owners where he missed a team meeting and exhibited some interest in a trade, this most likely will not cost him his position.
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2. Shubham Dubey
Dubey had 9 games and made a total of 106 runs at a strike rate of 160.6 with a top score of 34*. Although finishing strong, he was inconsistent at scoring runs and did not deliver any stable or impactful scores when the matches were critical, making his future with the franchise uncertain.
3. Tushar Deshpande
Deshpande played 10 times and took 9 wickets at an average of 37.38. With so few overs bowled and an unimpressive economy, RR may want to pursue seam-bowling depth and specialists for the death overs elsewhere.
4. Jofra Archer
Archer played in 12 matches, took 11 wickets with a below-average strike rate, as well as economy figures (~9.47), generally playing frustratingly for a player of his pedigree. He bowled 63 runs, overall, in one spell in a match. While he is a bona fide match-winner, his struggles with form and injury have absolved RR from wanting to keep an overseas slot open for any uncertain, effective performances.
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5. Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep played 10 times and took 10 wickets, with an economy of 9.89 per wicket—not much either with the new ball or in the middle overs. Given his low production and below-average strike rate, RR may consider seeking an upgrade for his low-impact pace option as well.
RR’s IPL 2025 season reinforced that consistency from potential match-winners and dependable specialists is necessary. While each of these five holds some pedigree or probability in their futures, their respective less successful forms, impacts, and availability issues present many valid grounds for concern. With IPL 2026’s player auction upcoming, expect the Rajasthan Royals to be active in looking for tactics of improvement.
