<
>

Which players should RR and KKR look to buy back?

Yuzvendra Chahal found a new way to congratulate R Ashwin BCCI

Rajasthan Royals

Players retained: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma
Purse remaining: INR 41 crore
Right-to-match options: None

With all six retention spots filled, Rajasthan Royals have no right-to-match options at the IPL 2025 mega option. They can still buy back some of their released players, though.

Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, winners of the Orange and Purple Caps in IPL 2022, will be high on their wish list. Buttler, however, may stretch their budget. Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna may also be in RR's plans. Avesh was the third most economical death bowler last season and has got back into the India T20I side. Prasidh missed the past two IPL seasons due to injuries but is back to bowling at full pace with the red ball. Both may end up being out of Royals' budget, though.

Two experienced players who may end up being within budget are Trent Boult and R Ashwin. Boult, 35, has outstanding powerplay numbers, while Ashwin has played a pivotal role for Royals with both bat and ball.

The Royals could also be keen to bring back Kuldeep Sen, the 28-year-old pacer who had a breakthrough season in 2022. He took eight wickets and subsequently made his India debut. Though his performances dipped afterward, Royals could look to get him back at a low price.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Players retained: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh
Purse remaining: INR 51 crore
Right-to-match options: None

The defending IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, are the other team with no right-to-match options. They released captain Shreyas Iyer and may be in the market for a new captain. That makes 30-year-old Nitish Rana a possible target. Rana led KKR in IPL 2023 when Iyer was injured and has been a reliable performer, consistently scoring 300-plus runs each season since 2018. However, he had limited opportunities in 2024, batting only twice.

Phil Salt, who smashed 435 runs in the 2024 season at a strike-rate of 182.00, will be high on several teams' wish lists. Will KKR hold back in the early rounds to save their purse for when Salt's name comes up in Set 5?

One of the promising young players on KKR's buy-back list will be 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, bought for INR 20 lakh ahead of IPL 2024. His strike rate of 155.23 in seven innings in 2024 was eye-catching in a season where Kolkata Knight Riders were banking on high totals.

Venkatesh Iyer, now 29, has been another key player for KKR. After being retained in 2022, Iyer bounced back from a lean season that year to score an IPL century in 2023. In the 2024 campaign, he struck four half-centuries and maintained a strike rate of over 158, making him a crucial asset KKR will look to bring back in the auction.

A key factor in Kolkata Knight Riders' triumphant run to their third IPL title was their potent pace attack. They retained Harshit Rana but are unlikely to have the budget to get back Mitchell Starc. Instead, they can prioritise buying back 26-year-old fast bowler Vaibhav Arora. He bowled Travis Head for a golden duck in the final, one of his 11 wickets for the season.