3 RR players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have had some high-profile players turn out for them over the years in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On the current roster, the likes of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer are on lucrative contracts that clearly display their worth to the side. At the same time, however, RR have always been a franchise that trusts younger players and gives lesser-known names a chance to express themselves at the IPL level.
Rajasthan have a bunch of players who are on cut-price deals and offer more to the franchise than their price tags suggest. Here are three RR players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts.
#3 Jason Holder
At face value, it might seem like Jason Holder is perfectly priced. The Royals shelled out ₹5.75 crore for his services at the IPL 2023 auction, an amount that seems adequate.
Holder isn't a reliable death bowler, and his batting has taken a hit of late. He also had a disappointing IPL campaign with the Lucknow Super Giants last year, although he did manage to return a fair few wickets on occasion.
The West Indian, though, was acquired in a mini auction where other players of his ilk fetched massive amounts of money.
Holder is a canny new-ball operator who covers up all the holes in RR's playing XI. His inclusion will allow Sanju Samson and Co. to play Obed McCoy ahead of the misfiring Trent Boult and also beef up the lower-middle order. The Royals should be thanking their stars for getting him on such a reasonable deal.
#2 Kuldeep Sen
Kuldeep Sen (in RR website) said "I was playing Syed Mushtaq Ali against Kerala, Sanju Samson noticed me as I was bowling yorkers, length ball - then he told about the Rajasthan Royals trials as he send me a number to contact for this".
Kuldeep Sen had a breakthrough IPL campaign for RR last year. The pacer clocked high speeds and picked up eight wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 9.42.
Sen has since made his debut for Team India and is all set for bigger and better things. He was signed for just ₹20 lakh at the IPL 2022 mega-auction, an amount for which RR retained him ahead of this year's event. The fast bowler is bound to be an integral part of their plans in IPL 2023 despite his low price tag.
Sen could become a household name if he has a decent campaign with RR.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal had his most prolific IPL season last year. The young opener tallied 258 runs in 10 matches at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 132.99 as he also notched up his highest IPL score of 68.
Jaiswal has made a mark in domestic cricket across formats this season and is developing rapidly. He has already been fast-tracked into the India A setup and it won't be long before we see him in international action for the senior team.
The southpaw, by virtue of being uncapped, was retained for just ₹4 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auction.
Jaiswal has all the tools necessary to become an all-format great, and it won't come as a surprise if he plunders runs in IPL 2023.