It’s that time of the season again for IPL fans. The time when we start dissecting every decision, every game, and every auction strategy with the intensity of a surgeon. And this year, one team that’s got the spotlight on them is the Rajasthan Royals. As you already know, RR is eliminated from IPL 2025, and many people are pointing fingers at the Rajasthan Royals’ auction strategy, wondering if that’s what ultimately derailed their playoff hopes.
Rajasthan Royals’ Poor Planning
It’s interesting when you look at the Rajasthan Royals. They’ve had some good times, right? They were on top back in 2008 when they won the whole thing, and they’ve had a couple of decent runs in recent years, like when they were runners-up in 2022 and made the playoffs in 2024. So, they’ve shown they can build a strong team.
But, you know how it is with the IPL, things change so fast. Because of those mega-auctions, where teams have to rebuild their squads, RR had to start over, even after having a pretty good team. They did keep some of their main guys – a few Indian players and that one overseas batter, which makes sense. You want to keep that core together.
Head Coach Rahul Dravid, who picked up an injury while playing Cricket in Bangalore, is recovering well and will join us today in Jaipur 💗 pic.twitter.com/TW37tV5Isj
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 12, 2025
And it was exciting to see Rahul Dravid back as coach. I mean, the guy is a legend. But even with him there, it feels like the Rajasthan Royals’ auction strategy was just so bad that it cost them the IPL 2025 campaign. In light of all this, let’s just go through the reasons why RR is eliminated from IPL 2025.
1. Some Questionable Retention Choices
Man, the Royals rolled the dice before the season even began. They used a huge chunk of their money, like, out of their 120-crore budget, they dropped 79 crores to keep Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma. That’s a lot of faith in those guys!
But here’s the thing: they let go of some absolute game-changers. Jos Buttler, who’s now killing it for the Gujarat Titans, was the guy for them. He could just take over a game, either at the start or at the death. And the Royals felt his absence this year. They choked in a bunch of chases, and you can’t help but think that’s exactly where Buttler would’ve come in clutch.
And letting Chahal go? That’s like the best exhibit of the Rajasthan Royals’ poor planning. The guy’s the all-time leading wicket-taker in the IPL, and he’s been on fire for Punjab Kings this season. You just don’t let go of a proven Indian spinner like that! Even pacers, for that matter, Trent Boult and Avesh Khan were let go, and there wasn’t even an attempt to buy them back.
2. Putting a Lot Of Faith in Shimron Hetmyer
It was also a bit weird that the Royals didn’t go for any overseas batters in the auction. They loaded up on foreign fast bowlers and spinners, which is fine, but it filled up most of their overseas spots. And Hetmyer, who was supposed to be their key guy in the middle order, has royally disappointed with his bat. So, the 11 crores that they spent on retaining him all proved to be a waste.
All that money… You kind of wonder if they could’ve used it better, like, to keep Buttler. He would’ve brought so much stability to the batting order, plus that experience they were missing this season. Instead, they put a lot of hope in Hetmyer, who, let’s be honest, isn’t always the most reliable when it comes to staying fit.
3. A Middling Bowling Lineup
Well, another main reason that RR is eliminated from IPL 2025 is that they kind of came up short in assembling a formidable bowling attack. Why do you ask? Because they splashed a lot of cash, like 14 crores on Jurel and 11 crores on Hetmyer, and those guys haven’t lived up to those price tags. That didn’t leave them with much to get some good bowlers.
I mean, they did get some decent names like Archer, Hasaranga, and Theekshana, but none of them set the world on fire, did they? They didn’t even have a proper sixth bowling option, so they had to bring in Riyan Parag to just make do.
Related Article：RR Out of IPL 2025 After Crushing 100-Run Defeat to MI
Conclusion
You know, there might be some other reasons too, but the Rajasthan Royals’ auction strategy is something that has a big part in setting up the Royals for failure. Whether it was the Rajasthan Royals’ poor planning or the inconsistent form displayed by their players, they now can’t reverse what has already happened. But they might have taken an important lesson for the next season.
