3 players RR made the penultimate bid for at IPL 2025 auction who would have fit the team well ft. Mohammed Siraj
Rajasthan Royals (RR) built a formidable squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Ahead of the auction, they retained their core players - Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma.
The Rajasthan-based franchise did most things right in the auction as well, filling the missing pieces of the squad. They splurged money on strengthening their bowling unit and got strong batting backups as well.
The most notable acquisitions were Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nitish Rana and Maheesh Theekshana. However, the Royals raised their paddle for many other players but fell short by a whisker in securing their services.
On that note, let's take a look at three of those players RR made the penultimate bid, who could have fit the team well.
#1 Mohammad Siraj
The right-arm pacer entered the auction at his base price of ₹2 crore. Initially, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings were involved in a bidding war for the player. Rajasthan Royals took an interest after the Super Kings bowed out of the bidding.
After RR raised their paddle for ₹12 crore, the Titans made the winning bid of ₹12.25 crore to add Mohammed Siraj to their roster.
In the last two seasons, Siraj has done well to secure 34 wickets in 28 games. He was helpful with his early breakthroughs for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru side.
Likewise, Siraj could have been a lethal weapon for RR, with them only retaining the lone pacer in the form of Sandeep Sharma, who will likely bowl predominantly at the death. Out of 93 total wickets in the cash-rich league, he has 45 dismissals of top-order batters.
With his change-ups and slower balls, Siraj has shown his versatility in picking wickets of middle-order batters as well.
#2 Trent Boult
One of the finest left-arm pacers in the IPL, Trent Boult represented the Rajasthan Royals in the last three seasons. He was impressive in picking up 45 wickets at an economy of 8.13, with best figures of 3/22. However, the franchise chose to release him.
The Royals opened the bidding at ₹2 crore for Boult and fought with Lucknow Super Giants at around ₹6 crore. Boult's former franchise Mumbai Indians then jumped right in and kept their interest alive until the end.
After the Royals' final bid of ₹12.25 crore, Mumbai managed to bring Boult back into their setup with a bid of ₹12.5 crore.
With Boult knowing the team culture and having a successful stint with the Royals, he would have been a great fit for the franchise. The Sanju Samson-led side will certainly miss Boult's abilities with the new ball and the death.
#3 Mahipal Lomror
The Rajasthan-born Mahipal Lomror was impressive in the last two seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Although the southpaw didn't score many runs, he flashed his blade to hit towering sixes and played as a pinch-hitter for the franchise.
RR opened the bidding for Lomror at ₹50 Lakh and engaged in a fierce bidding contest with Gujarat Titans. However, the Titans had a final laugh as they secured the batter at ₹1.70 crore.
The Royals will miss the local player, who could have been helpful for them due to the knowledge of the surface in Jaipur. Lomror has been in credible form in the Ranji Trophy as well, scoring an unbeaten triple-century.
Moreover, with Lomror's acquisition, RR could have gotten a handy left-arm spinner, who has scalped 78 wickets in the domestic circuit.