IPL 2027 auction: 3 Rajasthan Royals players who might not be retained

<p>Rajasthan Royals had a mixed IPL 2026 campaign. The side began the season with four consecutive victories but could not sustain that form throughout. However, they did qualify for the playoffs, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator before losing to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, which ended their title hopes.</p>
<p>The Royals have not lifted the IPL trophy since their inaugural 2008 championship. With the IPL 2027 auction approaching, the franchise will look to build around core young talents such as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/yashasvi-jaiswal/"><strong>Yashasvi Jaiswal</strong></a>, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and captain Riyan Parag. However, some players from the 2026 squad may not make the cut for retention.</p>
<h3>These are the 3 RR players who might not be retained at IPL 2027:</h3>
<h3>3. Sam Curran</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746167900068_Sam-Curran.jpeg" alt="Sam Curran" width="960" height="600" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Sam Curran (Source: Chennai IPL/X)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sam-curran/"><strong>Sam Curran </strong></a>is an England all-rounder who arrived at Rajasthan Royals via a trade with Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2026, a deal that also involved Sanju Samson moving to CSK in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Curran. He was valued at INR 2.4 crore within that arrangement. However, Curran did not play a single match in IPL 2026 after withdrawing from the tournament, which led to public disagreements with the RR management.</p>
<p>Head coach Kumar Sangakkara openly expressed his disappointment over the withdrawal. Given that Curran contributed nothing on the field, Rajasthan may choose to redirect those funds elsewhere in the IPL 2027 auction. It is worth recalling that Curran had earned global recognition when he took home the Player of the Tournament award at the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, underlining the talent that RR had hoped to utilise.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>2. Ravi Bishnoi</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1777187413567_Untitled-design---2026-04-26T123924.jpeg" alt="Ravi Bishnoi (Source: IPL/BCCI)" width="800" height="435" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Ravi Bishnoi (Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravi-bishnoi/"><strong>Ravi Bishnoi </strong></a>was acquired by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2026 mini-auction for INR 7.2 crore, with RR winning a bidding war to secure the leg-break bowler. Although Bishnoi picked up 11 wickets across 9 matches during IPL 2026, he lost his place in the playing XI during the latter stages of the season. Young spinner Yash Raj Punja displaced him, claiming 9 wickets in 8 matches at a better economy rate.</p>
<p>At INR 7.2 crore, Bishnoi represents a significant portion of the squad budget, and Rajasthan may feel that releasing him ahead of the IPL 2027 auction would free up funds to address other areas of the squad. The franchise will need to weigh his wicket-taking ability against the financial flexibility that releasing him would provide.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>1. Shimron Hetmyer</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1748356666889_Shimron-Hetmyer.jpeg" alt="Shimron-Hetmyer" width="960" height="600" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Shimron-Hetmyer. (Photo source: X)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shimron-hetmyer/"><strong>Shimron Hetmyer</strong></a> was retained by Rajasthan Royals at INR 11 crore ahead of IPL 2026. The West Indies left-handed batter is known for his ability to accelerate in the death overs and clear the boundary against both pace and spin. However, his IPL 2026 returns were a concern: Hetmyer managed just 78 runs across 7 innings at a strike rate of 113.04, which is well below what is expected from a finisher at that price point.</p>
<p>At INR 11 crore, his output made it difficult to justify the expenditure when Rajasthan also needs to invest in building around Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Releasing Hetmyer ahead of the IPL 2027 auction could allow the franchise to explore fresh middle-order options and distribute its purse more effectively.</p>

<p>Rajasthan Royals had a mixed IPL 2026 campaign. The side began the season with four consecutive victories but could not sustain that form throughout. However, they did qualify for the playoffs, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator before losing to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, which ended their title hopes.</p>
<p>The Royals have not lifted the IPL trophy since their inaugural 2008 championship. With the IPL 2027 auction approaching, the franchise will look to build around core young talents such as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/yashasvi-jaiswal/"><strong>Yashasvi Jaiswal</strong></a>, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and captain Riyan Parag. However, some players from the 2026 squad may not make the cut for retention.</p>
<h3>These are the 3 RR players who might not be retained at IPL 2027:</h3>
<h3>3. Sam Curran</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746167900068_Sam-Curran.jpeg" alt="Sam Curran" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Sam Curran (Source: Chennai IPL/X)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sam-curran/"><strong>Sam Curran </strong></a>is an England all-rounder who arrived at Rajasthan Royals via a trade with Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2026, a deal that also involved Sanju Samson moving to CSK in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Curran. He was valued at INR 2.4 crore within that arrangement. However, Curran did not play a single match in IPL 2026 after withdrawing from the tournament, which led to public disagreements with the RR management.</p>
<p>Head coach Kumar Sangakkara openly expressed his disappointment over the withdrawal. Given that Curran contributed nothing on the field, Rajasthan may choose to redirect those funds elsewhere in the IPL 2027 auction. It is worth recalling that Curran had earned global recognition when he took home the Player of the Tournament award at the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, underlining the talent that RR had hoped to utilise.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>2. Ravi Bishnoi</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1777187413567_Untitled-design---2026-04-26T123924.jpeg" alt="Ravi Bishnoi (Source: IPL/BCCI)" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Ravi Bishnoi (Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravi-bishnoi/"><strong>Ravi Bishnoi </strong></a>was acquired by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2026 mini-auction for INR 7.2 crore, with RR winning a bidding war to secure the leg-break bowler. Although Bishnoi picked up 11 wickets across 9 matches during IPL 2026, he lost his place in the playing XI during the latter stages of the season. Young spinner Yash Raj Punja displaced him, claiming 9 wickets in 8 matches at a better economy rate.</p>
<p>At INR 7.2 crore, Bishnoi represents a significant portion of the squad budget, and Rajasthan may feel that releasing him ahead of the IPL 2027 auction would free up funds to address other areas of the squad. The franchise will need to weigh his wicket-taking ability against the financial flexibility that releasing him would provide.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>1. Shimron Hetmyer</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1748356666889_Shimron-Hetmyer.jpeg" alt="Shimron-Hetmyer" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Shimron-Hetmyer. (Photo source: X)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/shimron-hetmyer/"><strong>Shimron Hetmyer</strong></a> was retained by Rajasthan Royals at INR 11 crore ahead of IPL 2026. The West Indies left-handed batter is known for his ability to accelerate in the death overs and clear the boundary against both pace and spin. However, his IPL 2026 returns were a concern: Hetmyer managed just 78 runs across 7 innings at a strike rate of 113.04, which is well below what is expected from a finisher at that price point.</p>
<p>At INR 11 crore, his output made it difficult to justify the expenditure when Rajasthan also needs to invest in building around Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Releasing Hetmyer ahead of the IPL 2027 auction could allow the franchise to explore fresh middle-order options and distribute its purse more effectively.</p>

Rajasthan Royals had a mixed IPL 2026 campaign. The side began the season with four consecutive victories but could not sustain that form throughout. However, they did qualify for the playoffs, defeat

3 RR players who might not be retained at IPL 2027

Rajasthan Royals reached the IPL 2026 playoffs but face tough retention calls ahead of the IPL 2027 auction.

Check out three Rajasthan Royals players who might not be retained ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, only on CricTracker.