3 players RR should look to buy back at the IPL 2025 auction ft. Avesh Khan
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) endured an up-and-down campaign in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sanju Samson and his men seemed on course for a top-two finish before a stumble in the second half of the league stage saw them barely make the playoffs.
In the knockouts, the Royals were sent packing in Qualifier 2 by the SunRisers Hyderabad. Despite that, however, Rajasthan is in a decent position ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. They have retained Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma and Riyan Parag apart from captain Samson.
The inaugural IPL champions have only ₹41 crore to spend, but most of their batting order is sorted already. While they don't have any RTM cards to use, they can still bring back a few of their key names from the last campaign.
On that note, here are three players RR should look to buy back at the IPL 2025 auction.
#3 Avesh Khan
Acquired via trade from the Lucknow Super Giants, Avesh Khan quickly became one of RR's most important players in IPL 2024. With Prasidh Krishna missing the season with an injury, the Madhya Pradesh fast bowler needed to undertake the unenviable task of bowling across phases.
Avesh came through with flying colors and finished as the team's leading wicket-taker, with 19 scalps to his name. He bowled well at the death across the season, hitting his yorkers at a high rate and shouldering that responsibility nearly single-handedly.
The Royals need to build their bowling attack from scratch, and building it around a bowler like Avesh won't be the worst idea.
#2 Jos Buttler
It's highly unlikely that RR will be able to afford Jos Buttler at the IPL 2025 auction, but for what it's worth, they should try. The Englishman has been a central part of their success over the last two auction cycles and clearly has plenty left in the tank.
Buttler has an excellent understanding with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and when he gets his eye in, he is extremely destructive. While Rajasthan might be inclined to open with Samson, given his success at the position for the national team, a player as good as the IPL 2022 Orange Cap winner can't be overlooked.
#1 Trent Boult
Trent Boult is another player who has been absolutely crucial to RR's success. The left-arm seamer's powerplay threat has single-handedly won the franchise several matches, and conditions at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur demand someone who can make the most of the new ball.
Like the other two on the list, Boult might be slightly out of the Royals' budget. But this is an area they cannot afford to miss out on, and the Kiwi seamer's presence could make or break their campaign. Powerplay enforcers as good as Boult are virtually impossible to find, and RR should do their utmost to bring him back.