Shimron Hetmyer Out, Bracewell In: RR Likely To Replace 3 Players With These Unsold Players

Shimron Hetmyer and Michael Bracewell (Source:AP Photos and @@RCBTweets/X.com)

Rajasthan Royals have become the second team in IPL 2025 to get eliminated from the playoffs race. Their surprising retentions did not work throughout the season, and inaugural champions would have to make some big changes if they want to get back on track. 

Thus, here are the the three players RR might release because of their poor performance and high price after IPL 2025. We have also included their possible replacements from the unsold players list of IPL 2025 mega auction.

1. Shimron Hetmyer - Michael Bracewell

Why RR Might Release Shimron Hetmyer?

(The above stats are of IPL 2025)

Shimron Hetmyer was retained for 11 Crore by RR ahead of IPL 2025 and was expected to perform finishing role with the bat. However, he has failed miserably throughout the season, and could muster just 187 runs in 10 innings. Also, the batter was guilty of not finishing the innings twice when the team needed nine in the final over, and overall has was quite poor in the last season as well. Thus, there are high chances that RR might look beyond Hetmyer in the next season.

Why Is Michael Bracewell A Good Fit In RR Squad?

Michael Bracewell was injured for the majority of the last year, and that was the reason he went unsold in the auction. However, he is a solid all-rounder who can adjust his game according to the situation, and has been doing good job in domestic T20s and for his country, New Zealand. He has also shown the ability to use the long handle to great effect under pressure, and that is exactly what RR lacked in their 2025 campaign.

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2. Dhruv Jurel - Urvil Patel

Why RR Might Release Dhruv Jurel?

(Dhruv Jurel in T20s in the above table)

Dhruv Jurel is highly rated in Indian cricketing circles, but all his big performances have been in the longer format so far. He is not a power-hitter that a team needs in the middle or lower middle order in T20s, and it has been evident in quite a few games of IPL 2025. His strike-rate of 147.33 in 10 innings looks decent on paper, but he could not get boundaries when his team needed him to, and thus freeing up 14 Crore by releasing him makes sense after RR's early exit from IPL 2025.

Why Is Urvil Patel A Good Fit In RR Squad?

(Urvil Patel in T20s in the above table)

Urvil Patel created a record of fastest T20 century by an Indian batter in SMAT 2024, and is a clean hitter of the cricket ball. He was both consistent and impactful in domestic cricket in the last season, and thus could add the firepower in place of Dhruv Jurel. He bats at the top of the order in domestic T20, but has the experience of batting in the middle in longer formats, and RR can use his flexibility and power in the next season.

3. Tushar Deshpande - Naveen Ul Haq

Why RR Might Release Tushar Deshpande?

Tushar Deshpande emerged as a wicket-taking bowler for CSK in IPL 2023 and 2024, and even went onto play two T20Is for India. However, an anke injury hampered his progress and he could not play lot of cricket before IPL 2025. RR management though kept faith in him and bought the right-handed pacer for 6.50 Crore, which has not been fruitful in IPL 2025 so far. 

In the eight matches he has played, the bowler took only six wickets, leaking runs at an economy rate of 11.25 and was then dropped. He did not look effective both with the new and old ball, and with plenty of other Indian bowling options at RR's disposal, they might want to free-up 6.50 Crore and release Deshpande.

Why Is Naveen-ul-Haq A Good Fit In RR Squad?

(Naveen-ul-Haq in T20s in the above table)

RR filled only six overseas spots out of eight, and thus there is a room to add a quality international bowler in their squad. Naveen-ul-Haq has done well in IPL during his stint with LSG, and has experience of international cricket and franchise leagues around the world. He also can perform a role of a specialised death bowler, a phase where RR leaked quite a few runs this season.

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