Vaibhav Suryavanshi to open with Jaiswal; Sanju Samson replaced: RR strongest XI for IPL 2026

Vaibhav to open with Jaiswal; Samson to be replaced [Source: AFP]

The IPL 2026 mini auction concluded on Tuesday, as the teams filled the remaining 77 slots in their existing squads. Rajasthan Royals, a team that suffered a humiliating group-stage elimination from the IPL 2025, made wholesale changes to their setup, even removing Sanju Samson from captaincy and adding Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja to their team.

Rajasthan Royals had a satisfactory auction, boosting their spin bowling department with the signings of players like Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Punja and Vignesh Puthur. They even added the swashbuckling Donovan Ferreira through a pre-auction IPL trade from Delhi Capitals.

Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 retention list

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja (traded from CSK), Sam Curran (traded from CSK), Donovan Ferreira (traded from DC), Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger

Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 auction buys

Sushant Mishra, Yashraj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Brijesh Sharma, Aman Rao, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen

Rajasthan Royals full squad for IPL 2026

RCB on top: Which team has the strongest overseas player pool post IPL 2026 auction?

Rajasthan Royals strongest XI for IPL 2026

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi to open

Criterion	Jaiswal	Suryavanshi
Innings	66	7
Runs	2166	252
Average	34.38	36
Strike rate	152.86	206.56

(Jaiswal and Suryavanshi as openers in IPL)

As evidenced by the above stats, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been absolutely magnificent as openers in the IPL. They can torment any attack on a given day and have the calibre to provide excellent starts to the Royals.
Statistically, Jaiswal and Suryavanshi average a whopping 60.28 as a batting pair, having registered four fifty-plus opening partnerships across seven innings. So, they will open the batting for the Royals in the IPL 2026.

Dhruv Jurel vs Sam Curran: RR's 'number three' puzzle addressed

Sanju Samson was outstanding at number three, amassing 3096 runs at an average of 38.22 and a strike rate of 143.33.
As he has joined CSK, his void at number three could be filled by Dhruv Jurel, who has the ideal technique and temperament to bat at that position.
However, the keeper-batter's prolific success in the middle order and Sam Curran's impressive record at three and against spin might prompt the Royals to adopt a slightly bold approach and slot him at that position.

Criterion	Jurel at 5, 6 in IPL	Curran at 3 in T20s	Curran vs spin
Innings	25	36	158
Runs	568	958	1701
Average	33.41	27.4	26.2
Strike Rate	156.9	145.8	138.5
Dot %	29.8	32.6	30.9

As evidenced by the above stats, Jurel has been a proven performer at five and six, while Curran has shown excellent hitting skills against spin as well as at number three.
The English allrounder also has a terrific record against left-arm off-spin and right-arm leg spin, scoring 1272 runs at a blistering strike rate of 150.7. So, if RR decide to keep Jurel's position unchanged, they can use Curran as a spin-hitter at number three.
If RR wish to assign the anchor's role to Jurel as Samson's like-for-like replacement, Curran might not find a place in the side, with Donovan Ferreira likely to come in as their designated pace-hitter down the order. But we reckon it's more logical to have Curran at three and keep Jurel and Hetmyer's entry points unchanged due to their magnificent record as middle-order batters.

Middle order: Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey

Criterion	Parag at 4	Hetmyer at 6
Innings	25	29
Runs	878	642
Average	43.90	37.76
Strike Rate	155.67	168.95

Riyan Parag is a certain starter at number four, having amassed 878 runs at a magnificent average and strike rate at that position. Parag is equally good against pace and spin, and his pairing with Jurel and Hetmyer can solidify the Royals' middle order.
Hetmyer has statistically been a great number six and the Royals might not tweak his entry point due to this reason. His incredible pace-hitting makes the West Indies batter a valuable asset for the Royals in the slog overs (Hetmyer in 16-20 overs in IPL: 1941 runs, strike rate- 182.9).
On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja will be RR's first-choice spin-allrounder, while Shubham Dubey should be used as an impact substitute while batting, purely due to his clean-hitting in the slog overs. Statistically, Dube has struck at a rate of 155.77 at number seven in the IPL.

Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger and Sandeep Sharma

Jofra Archer will be RR's frontline fast bowler across phases, having bagged 11 wickets last season. Apart from chipping in with early breakthroughs, the English cricketer can also hit a long ball in the slog overs.
Left-arm pacer Nandre Burger should be RR's second pacer, as he has showcased red-hot form in 2025. Sandeep Sharma is expected to be preferred over Tushar Deshpande due to his superior death-bowling skills, while Ravi Bishnoi will lead the Royals' spin department with Jadeja.

RR strongest team for IPL 2026

Yashasvi Jaiswal
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Sam Curran ✈️
Riyan Parag
Dhruv Jurel (WK)
Shimron Hetmyer ✈️
Shubham Dubey
Ravindra Jadeja (floater)
Ravi Bishnoi
Jofra Archer ✈️
Sandeep Sharma
Impact player: Nandre Burger (✈️) for Shubham Dubey

IPL 2026 auction: Full list of sold, unsold, retained Players, top Buys