RR IPL team 2021 players list, purse available for Samson and co. & likely auction targets

With the IPL 2021 auction a mere two days away now, one of the teams that will have the most amount of strategizing to do will be the Rajasthan Royals. The coaching staff, headed by Kumar Sangakkara, who has been roped in as the team's director for the season and head coach Andrew McDonald, will have a lot of work to do as they look to formulate a team that can recreate the success RR had in the inaugural season of the IPL. After yet another bumpy season saw them miss the playoffs train, it is no surprise that the Royals have gone for a fairly major revamp of their side.

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RR IPL team 2021 players list: RR team preview ahead of IPL 2021 auction

As the bidding wars begin in Chennai on Thursday, the Rajasthan Royals will have a couple of things on their minds. With 9 slots available (3 overseas) and a decent purse of INR 37 crore, the first thing the team will look for will be an experienced batsman to replace their ex-skipper Steve Smith. With Sanju Samson (c&wk), Jos Buttler (wk) and Ben Stokes playing in some combination as the top 3, the side will need someone who can stay consistent at No.4.

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Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal still had some ways to go at last year's tournament but should get a chance this season as well. In the middle order, RR have the sensational Rahul Tewatia, who along with Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag and the experienced David Miller constitutes a fairly solid end game for the side, especially when in good form. The lineup can be bolstered by someone like Shakib Al Hasan or perhaps Glenn Maxwell, who had a terrific BBL season recently. 

RR's bowling department was the bane of their existence last season, with Jofra Archer and Kartik Tyagi proving to the only reliable pace options available to the side. With Andrew Tye looking in better form since the BBL 2021, RR could look to add Jhye Richardson or Nathan Coulter-Nile to the mix. The spin department could also be backup with the purchase of Shakib or even an Indian option like Kedar Jadhav. 

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RR IPL team 2021 players list: Who was released and who was retained?

RR team lost of retained players: Sanju Samson (C), Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, David Miller and Manan Vohra.

RR team list of released players: Steven Smith, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Akash Singh, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Anirudha Joshi and Shashank Singh.

IPL auction 2021 date and time

The IPL auction 2021 will take place in Chennai on February 18, 2021. The event will begin at 3:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Star Sports. An IPL auction live stream will also be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

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Image Credits: Rajasthan Royals Twitter