Reports - Rajasthan Royals retain Sanju Samson; Buttler, Archer and Jaiswal on radar

If reports are to be believed, Rajasthan Royals have retained skipper Sanju Samson ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022. According to reports in ESPN Cricinfo, Samson will continue to lead the side after agreeing to a three-year contract for INR 14 crores.

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Samson is with the Royals since 2018. He was signed by the franchise back then for INR 8 crore. After consistently playing well for two years, the 26-year-old was promoted to captaincy in 2021. The elegant right-hand batter had a fruitful season and scored 484 runs, the most by any RR batter.

Meanwhile, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the frontrunners for the remaining three slots. Interestingly, Ben Stokes' name is not on the retention list as his status is not clear. While he has come out of his break from cricket, it's not sure he'll play the IPL or now.

Butter had a fruitful season for the Royals in the India leg of the IPL. He scored his first-ever T20 hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It is learnt that the wicketkeeper-batter is one of the prime contenders for retention.

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Pacer Jofra Archer, who was IPL’s most valuable player (MVP) in 2020, is also likely to be retained by the franchise. The fast bowler missed out playing in this season but the franchise is keen to have him on board. The fourth spot will likely be a toss-up between Liam Livingstone and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Earlier, the BCCI ha said that franchises can retain up to four players, with a maximum of two overseas players. Royals are likely to seal the remaining three slots by November 28.