Rajasthan Royals were one of the busiest teams as the player retention window for the Indian Premier League season of 2026 drew to a close. The franchise has taken some bold steps in retention and release, and now things are crystal clear as to which direction they want to take in the upcoming mega auction. With some major trades, key releases, and a refreshed team plan, RR are preparing to build a strong squad for their second IPL title. RR's Biggest Trade Move: Jadeja & Curran Come In The biggest talking point around RR this year has been the blockbuster trade involving Sanju Samson. The franchise did trade out their long-time skipper to the Chennai Super Kings for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. This move has already driven strong reactions amongst the fans, but it also shows the fresh approach of RR. Samson has been an important leader, helping RR in establishing a competitive unit over the past couple of seasons. Management, though, believed that a different direction was needed. Now, they have two world-class all-rounders in Jadeja and Curran, who would contribute with bat and ball. Together, Curran and Jadeja can give eight sure overs, thereby strengthening the bowling attack. Both add a lot of power to the lower-middle order. Jadeja had an average last season with the ball, but he compensated for that by making 301 runs with the bat, his best this IPL season with the bat. He has good numbers at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium too: 180 runs in nine innings for an average of 45. This trade gives RR the flexibility they didn't have earlier and makes their playing XI more balanced. Also Read | Will KKR retain Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy for 2026 IPL? RR Need to Sort Out Captaincy, Spin Options With Samson leaving, RR now face a big question, who will be the next captain? Riyan Parag captained the team in Samson's absence last season, where he won only two out of eight matches. Another strong option is Yashasvi Jaiswal. RR will have to be very careful in choosing because their next skipper will shape the future of this team. The other area they have to mend is spin. Having released Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga, there is no full-time spinner other than Jadeja. RR need one more quality spinner who can support him through the season, especially on slow tracks. RR also traded Nitish Rana to Delhi Capitals for ₹4.2 crore, trading in the Proteas Donovan Ferreira from Delhi Capitals who made his IPL debut with RR in 2024 season. Despite Donovan being an attacking batter and a long-term asset, this does not seem to be a good deal since Rana had a decent season with them, scoring 217 runs in 11 innings with a good strike rate of 161.94. He could have been a solid number three and a possible captaincy candidate. Now, RR will have to search for a player in that position. RR's Retention & Auction Budget Releasing Wanindu Hasaranga for ₹5.25 crore and Theekshana for ₹4.4 crore has freed money inside the purse. RR now enter the IPL 2026 auction with ₹16.05 crore in their kitty, giving them some room to better their squad. Retained players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Released players: Hasaranga, Theekshana, Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma. Traded in: Ravindra Jadeja & Sam Curran from CSK, Donovan Ferreira from DC Traded out: Sanju Samson to CSK, Nitish Rana to DC. Conclusion RR have made brave calls to give them balance and depth. They now need to pick the right captain, find a quality spinner, and fill the number three spot. On the back of a decent purse and strong core, they're well-placed for a fresh start in IPL 2026.