RR head coach Dravid says skipper Samson played a big role in retention process

PTI, Nov 4, 2024, 4:47 PM IST

New Delhi: Continuity, stability, unflinching faith in their players and tips from skipper Sanju Samson influenced former IPL champions Rajasthan Royals’ decision to opt for the maximum six retentions, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday.

The deadline for teams to submit their list of retained players was October 31.

“We have decided that we will do six out of six retentions. We will retain Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma. We came to this decision because we trust our talent. We also trust that we want to maintain and build with that core,” Dravid told JioCinema.

Sandeep Sharma has been retained under the revived ‘uncapped’ player rule.

Teams are allowed to retain a maximum of six players and have an overall allotted budget of Rs 120 crore for the retention as well as mega auction.

Discussing the advantage of retaining six players, Dravid said: “There is definitely a stability when you retain six players. We could only retain six players, but if we could have done more, we would have retained more for sure.

“We believe that the players we have retained are deserving. Of course, you have less money when you go to the auction, but there is a certain stability that you have blocked in some areas and then you can see how you have to make the whole team.” RR let go of Jos Buttler, R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal among others and these players will go into the auction pool.

The mega auction is scheduled to be held later this month.

Dravid feels teams will be required to be a lot more flexible in the mega auction due to the change in RTM (Right to Match) card rule.

“The rules of the RTM have also changed a bit, so we will definitely get to see something different in this auction. In the auction, you have to do some preparation and planning, but there you have to show some flexibility.

“We have built a foundation for us, we have created a base, we have retained a core, we will take this forward and fill it and make a good squad,” Dravid said.

The RTM card allows a franchise to buy back a player who was part of their squad in the previous season by matching the price at which that player is sold at the auction.

On retaining Samson as the No. 1 pick, Dravid explained: “Sanju Samson is our batsman, wicketkeeper and captain. He has been the captain of this team for many years. So, it was a no-brainer for us to retain him as he will be our captain in the future too.

“He was a top retainer pick for us and he was very involved in our decision process as well.” On Samson’s role in the retention decisions, Dravid shared: “Sanju Samson played a big role in the retention, and it was difficult for him as well. As a captain, he has built a lot of relationships with the players. He has had a lot of balanced views about this.

“He has taken the trouble to understand the dynamics of it, the pros and cons of this. So, I would like to praise him for discussing this with us. It was not an easy decision for us either.” RR won the title in the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2008 and Dravid said it’s time the franchise wins it again.

“For the next season, the expectation will be that we qualify and win. It’s been many years since Rajasthan has won a title. So, our effort will be to win, but we also understand that there are very good teams in IPL.”