The Rajasthan Royals (RR) got what they needed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. That was Ravi Bishnoi. RR played two overseas spinners in Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana last year and that was a mistake that hampered their combination. Now, that is sorted with Bishnoi coming in, and not for an expensive amount either.
RR weaved their magic even before the IPL auction when they completed two trades, bringing in Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira. It solved a major issue in their team: the lack of all-rounders. Ferreira’s inclusion is massive since he really bolsters the finishing prowess. Below, Insidesport takes a look at Rajasthan’s strongest playing XII.
Strongest Rajasthan Royals Playing XII for IPL 2026
| S. No. | Player | Backup Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Aman Rao |
| 2 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Lhuan-Dre Pretorious ✈️ |
| 3 | Sam Curran ✈️ | |
| 4 | Riyan Parag | |
| 5 | Dhruv Jurel | Ravi Singh |
| 6 | Shimron Hetmyer ✈️ | Shubham Dubey |
| 7 | Donovan Ferreira ✈️ | |
| 8 | Ravindra Jadeja | |
| 9 | Ravi Bishnoi | Yash Raj Punja/Vignesh Puthur |
| 10 | Tushar Deshpande | Sushant Mishra/Yudhvir Charak |
| 11 | Jofra Archer ✈️ | Adam Milne ✈️/Kwena Maphaka ✈️/Nandre Burger ✈️ |
| 12 (Impact Sub) | Sandeep Sharma | Kuldeep Sen/Brijesh Sharma |
RR have the most exciting opening duo in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The two southpaws can really kill the game within the powerplay, with their T20 strike rate being over 170 (combined). However, at number three, we have included Sam Curran, who can be a pinch hitter at the top. He is a lesser batter if batting lower down the order. At 3, his career strike rate goes up from 137.51 to 148.96. Moreover, it would allow Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel to bat at their natural slots at numbers four and five.
However, one issue that RR have is not having able backups for Jurel or Parag. They did well in acquiring Aman Rao and Ravi Singh but one is an opener, and the other a finisher. RR spent almost their entire purse on purchasing bowlers. At numbers six and seven are two firepower finishers in Shimron Hetymer and Donovan Ferreira. Many might question Ferriera’s place when Hetmyer is there. However, the South African has a T20 SR of 175.8 since 2024. He can make those 4-ball 20 in any moment. Also, he can roll his arms over as well, notwithstanding being an able keeper as well.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi would form the spin duo. Jadeja can be floated around slightly up the order as well in case of a collapse. Jadeja is among the top 10 wicket-takers in IPL history with 170 wickets at an economy of 7.67. Meanwhile, Bishnoi will have a point to prove in 2026 after he had an awful IPL 2025 with LSG.
Among the pacers, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma would be the starters. However, there are ample options. RR can drop any other overseas player if they want to include an overseas pacer in Maphaka, Milne or Burger. Among Indian pacers, there are Kuldeep Sen, Brijesh Sharma, Sushant Mishra and Yudhvir Charak.
Full Rajasthan Royals (RR) Squad
Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-Dre Pretorious, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag, Sam Curran, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Charak, Aman Rao (INR 30 lakh), Ravi Singh (INR 95 lakh), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 7.20 cr), Yash Raj Punja (INR 30 lakh), Vignesh Puthur (INR 30 lakh), Sushant Mishra (INR 90 lakh), Brijesh Sharma (INR 30 lakh), Adam Milne (INR 2.40 cr), Kuldeep Sen (INR 75 lakh)
