'We want to maintain and build with that core' - Rahul Dravid explains reason behind Rajasthan Royals retaining six players

On October 31, all the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises unveiled their retention lists. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allowed teams to retain up to six players including an uncapped player. Rajasthan Royals have decided to retain six players and exhausted their cap as this has left them with no option to use the Right to Match card. 

RR Head Coach, Rahul Dravid has revealed the reason behind retaining six players and shedding 79 crore of their 120 crore auction purse. The retained players are Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel and Sandeep Sharma. Dravid also added that the reason to go all out in the retention process was to maintain the trust and core of the team.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals retained players, released players and purse remaining 

"We have decided that we will do six out of six retentions. We will retain Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma. We came to this decision because we trusted our talent. We also trust that we want to maintain and build with that core,” Dravid told Jio Cinema.

“There is definitely stability when you retain six players. We could only retain six players, but if we could have done more, we would have retained more for sure. We believe that the players we have retained are deserving. Of course, you have less money when you go to the auction, but there is a certain stability that you have blocked in some areas and then you can see how you have to make the whole team,” he added.

Samson will be our captain in the future too: Dravid

Samson has been with RR since 2018 and also led the team to the finals in IPL 2022. He previously associated with the franchise from 2013-2015. Dravid iterated that, retaining the Kerala batter was a “no-brainer.” He also added that the right-hander batter was involved in the decision-making of the team.

Also Read: ‘Sanju had a big role to play’ - Rahul Dravid

"Sanju Samson is our batsman, wicketkeeper and captain. He has been the captain of this team for many years. So, it was a no-brainer for us to retain him as he will be our captain in the future too. He was a top retainer pick for us and he was very involved in our decision process as well,” Dravid concluded.