Report – Rajasthan Royals retain Sanju Samson; Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler other potential retentions

If reports are to be believed, Sanju Samson has been retained by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 . According to ESPN Cricinfo, the wicketkeeper-batter was the No 1 player that Royals were keen to retain ahead of the November 30 retention closing window.

This will be the fourth year for Samson with Royals since coming in as a player in 2018. Samson was promoted to captaincy in the previous edition of the IPL. He truly blossomed and took the onus of run-scoring. In the past, Samson would score in two or three games and later tapered off. The captaincy has brought maturity and a sense of calmness in his approach. He scored 484 runs in 14 games and was the leading run-scorer for the team.

Jos Butter, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, and uncapped Yashasvi Jaiswal are the other players who the Royals have on their radar. England wicketkeeper-batter Buttler was in scintillating form in the India leg of the IPL. He was also in rich vein form in the 20-20 World Cup. The opening batter has done well for the franchise for the past three years. Meanwhile, Archer missed out playing the previous season after bagging the MVP in the 20-20 edition.

Royals are keen to have the express fast bowler for three years. Liam Livingstone did not set the stage on fire in the UAE leg of the IPL. However, his X-factor and match-winning abilities might be one of the few clinchers for the franchise. Meanwhile, uncapped India opener Jaiswal had a good season with the Royals this year and scored 249 runs in 10 games. It is learnt that Royals will likely finalize the remaining three slots on November 28.