Rajasthan Royals IPL 2027: Squad Status After a Qualifier 2 Run
Rajasthan Royals enter IPL 2027 with Riyan Parag as captain and Kumar Sangakkara as head coach. Releases, trades and the December 2026 mini auction can still change the 25-player squad assembled for IPL 2026, so it is a contractual starting point rather than the final 2027 list.
RR finished fourth in the 2026 league stage and reached Qualifier 2. Their main 2027 need is bowling support for an explosive Indian batting core in high-scoring matches.
Rajasthan Royals IPL 2027 status at a glance
| Detail | Current status |
|---|---|
| Franchise | Rajasthan Royals, commonly shortened to RR |
| Captain | Riyan Parag |
| Head coach | Kumar Sangakkara |
| IPL operating company | Royal Multisport Private Limited |
| Main home ground | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| Secondary home ground | ACA Stadium, Guwahati |
| IPL titles | One, won in 2008 |
| IPL 2026 league finish | Fourth, with 16 points and a +0.189 net run rate |
| IPL 2026 playoff finish | Lost Qualifier 2 to Gujarat Titans |
| Final IPL 2027 squad | Not announced |
| Completed 2027 trades | None announced |
| Next squad event | IPL 2027 mini auction in India in December 2026 |
The IPL Rajasthan Royals profile lists Parag as captain, Sangakkara as coach and Sawai Mansingh Stadium as the franchise venue.
The 25-player squad is the right starting point, not the final answer
Rajasthan Royals began IPL 2026 with the following 25-player squad. Temporary injury replacements are not mixed into this contractual baseline.
| Role | Rajasthan Royals 2026 contractual squad |
|---|---|
| Batters and wicketkeepers | Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Perala |
| All rounders | Riyan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Yudhvir Singh |
| Bowlers | Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja |
Two names on the post-season roster need context. Dasun Shanaka joined as an injury replacement for Sam Curran, while Emanjot Singh Chahal replaced Ravi Singh. Replacement appearances belong to the 2026 season record and do not automatically make either player part of the 2027 contracted squad.
The final list depends on releases, trades and the mini auction. Post-auction players will be listed on the IPL 2027 squads page.
Four opening wins did not make the league stage easy
Rajasthan Royals won their first four matches in IPL 2026, then went 4 wins and 6 defeats across the remaining ten league games. They still secured fourth place with eight wins, six losses and 16 points, one point ahead of Punjab Kings.
| Stage | Matches | RR record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening run | 4 | 4 wins, 0 losses | Eight points and early control |
| Remaining league games | 10 | 4 wins, 6 losses | Qualified in fourth place |
| Eliminator | 1 | Beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs | Advanced to Qualifier 2 |
| Qualifier 2 | 1 | Lost to Gujarat Titans by 7 wickets | Season ended |
The playoff run exposed the key contrast. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 97 in the Eliminator as Rajasthan made 243 for 8 and defended it. He then made 96 in Qualifier 2, but Gujarat chased 215 in 18.4 overs. RR could post a strong knockout total and still lose control with the ball.
Riyan Parag leads the post-Sanju Samson team
Riyan Parag is the current Rajasthan Royals captain. He replaced Sanju Samson before IPL 2026 and led RR to the playoffs in his first season in charge. Parag contributed 309 runs and two wickets in 14 appearances.
Sanju Samson is not part of the current Rajasthan squad. RR traded him to Chennai Super Kings before IPL 2026, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving to Rajasthan. That completed transfer belongs to the 2026 cycle.
Kumar Sangakkara is the head coach. He returned to the role after Rahul Dravid stepped down in August 2025 and guided the new captaincy setup to Qualifier 2.
RR’s biggest advantage is an Indian top three that scored 1,718 runs
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led Rajasthan Royals with 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30. Dhruv Jurel made 515 runs, while Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 427. All three are Indian players.
Together, Sooryavanshi, Jurel and Jaiswal scored 1,718 of RR’s 3,076 runs in IPL 2026. That is 55.9% of the team total. Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal alone supplied 1,203 runs, or 39.1%, giving Rajasthan one of the league’s most productive opening combinations without using an overseas slot.
An Indian opening pair and Indian wicketkeeper-batter let RR use overseas places for pace, finishing or a multi-skill player. Donovan Ferreira added 317 runs, Riyan Parag 309 and Ravindra Jadeja 266.
The risk is role overlap. Hetmyer, Ferreira, Jadeja and an overseas all rounder may all be considered for finishing positions. Rajasthan need clear entry points rather than several players waiting to perform the same task.
Jofra Archer took almost one quarter of Rajasthan’s wickets
The Rajasthan Royals season figures record 105 wickets during IPL 2026. Jofra Archer claimed 25, which was 23.8% of the team total. Brijesh Sharma and Nandre Burger took 14 each, Ravi Bishnoi finished with 11 and Ravindra Jadeja added 10.
Those five bowlers combined for 74 wickets, or 70.5% of RR’s total. Archer remained the main strike bowler, creating a workload risk if the supporting combination is unsettled.
Qualifier 2 provided the stress test: Gujarat chased 215 with eight balls remaining. RR need a bowler trusted in either the powerplay or death overs, plus a second plan when Archer’s attacking overs do not break a partnership.
No Rajasthan Royals trade is complete for IPL 2027
Rajasthan Royals have not announced a completed player transfer for IPL 2027. Reports of approaches or social media speculation do not change a player’s team.
The IPL 2027 trades tracker separates completed transfers from discussions and rumours. The Samson, Jadeja and Curran transaction belongs to the 2026 cycle, not the 2027 trade list.
Rajasthan need precision at the mini auction, not another overhaul
RR’s purse and open slots will only be clear after releases. Their 2026 performance points to four squad decisions.
- Add pressure-over bowling. Rajasthan need another powerplay or death option so Archer does not carry the hardest overs alone.
- Protect the overseas balance. Archer, Burger, Maphaka, Milne, Hetmyer, Ferreira, Pretorius and Curran compete for four places. Each selection needs a distinct purpose.
- Clarify the finishing order. A settled plan for overs 15 to 20 would make better use of Ferreira, Hetmyer, Jadeja and Parag.
- Keep Indian batting depth. A dependable reserve would cover injury or poor form without forcing a foreign batter into the XI.
The mini auction should improve how the pieces fit rather than replace the core that produced 3,076 runs and 105 wickets.
The Rajasthan Royals ownership change is not fully closed
Royal Multisport Private Limited remains the operator named on the IPL profile. India’s competition regulator approved a proposed $1.65 billion acquisition led by the Lakshmi Mittal family and Adar Poonawalla in September 2026. BCCI and IPL Governing Council approval remains part of the process, so operational control is not yet settled.
Jaipur remains home, while Guwahati is a second base
Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is Rajasthan Royals’ main home ground. RR have also used the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati for selected home fixtures.
The 2027 venue split has not been released. Match dates and grounds will appear on the IPL 2027 schedule when available. The tournament window runs from March 10 to May 15, 2027.
Rajasthan Royals have one IPL title
Rajasthan Royals won the first IPL in 2008 under Shane Warne. RR reached their second final in 2022 and made Qualifier 2 in 2024 and 2026. They are still chasing a second title.
Follow RR’s league position on the IPL 2027 points table and find every franchise on the IPL teams page.