New Delhi [India], November 5 : Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid explained the rationale behind choosing Sanju Samson as the franchise's number one retention pick for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Last week all 10 franchises announced their retention list ahead of the mega auction which is expected to take place at the end of this month.
The Royals announced that Samson, who captained the team for the past four seasons, will continue in this role.
Dravid stated retaining Samson was a "no-brainer" for the franchise and asserted that the 29-year-old will continue to lead the side in the future as well.
"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," Dravid said on JioCinema's IPL Retention Special.
Samson, entering his 11th season with the Royals, was retained at a value of Rs 18 crore. Under his leadership, Rajasthan qualified for the playoffs twice in the last four seasons, including a runner-up finish in IPL 2022.
As captain, Samson has consistently delivered with his leadership skills and bat. The experienced star has garnered 1,835 runs in 60 innings at a strike rate of 147.59, finishing as one of the franchise's top three run-scorers each season since 2021.
The squad also saw the return of breakout top-order batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, all-rounder Riyan Parag, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, finisher Shimron Hetmyer, and medium pacer Sandeep Sharma.
"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," he added.
Dravid also evaluated the advantages of retaining six players and noted, "There is definitely 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."