Sanju Samson is set to be the first retention for Rajasthan Royals ahead of the Indian Premier League mega auction. ESPNcricinfo reported that Samson will be RR’s first retention and will be earning Rs 14 crores per season from the franchise.
He was promoted as the captain of the Jaipur-based side last season and rewarded their trust by notching up a career-best 484 runs in 14 matches.
The report further stated that the Royals are looking to finalise their final three retentions by the next couple of days with Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer being the frontrunners for the two foreigners spot. Barring the two English superstars, the names of Liam Livingstone and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also been floating around.
With a total of four retentions being allowed, the toss-up will be between the foreign players—Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, who have been out of international cricket for a considerable amount of time. While Ben Stokes had taken a voluntary leave from cricket to work on his mental health before returning for the Ashes series,Archer has been out due to an elbow injury that he had been nursing for a while.
The biggest concern for Rajasthan will be the money that will be spent over the whole arrangement. According to the rules, four retentions will cost Rs 42 crores in total, but if they choose to retain the uncapped Indian in Yashasvi Jaiswal, it would come down to Rs 40 crores.
The retention window closes on November 30.