New Delhi: Skipper Sanju Samson inputs were taken into consideration when Rajasthan Royals decided to retain the maximum six players Indian Premier League’s retentions, with an eye on maintaining stability and build on their existing core of last year, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday.
Champions in IPL’s inaugural year in 2008, Rajasthan retained skipper Samson, batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, keeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Sandeep Sharma.
As their aim is to end wait for their second trophy, Rajasthan wanted to build on what they already have and took skipper Samson’s tips with much importance as he has faith in the players retained.
“Sanju Samson played a big role in the retention, and it was difficult for him as well. As a captain, he has built a lot of relationships with the players. He has had a lot of balanced views about this,” Dravid told Jio Cinema.
“He has taken the trouble to understand the dynamics of it, the pros and cons of this. So, I would like to praise him for discussing this with us. It was not an easy decision for us either.
“For the next season, the expectation will be that we qualify and win. It’s been many years since Rajasthan has won a title. So, our effort will be to win, but we also understand that there are very good teams in IPL.”
‘Deserving retentions’
As retaining players give stability, Rajasthan opted for the maximum permitted and would have kept more had it been allowed by the BCCI.
“There is definitely a stability when you retain six players. We could only retain six players, but if we could have done more, we would have retained more for sure,” the former India coach said.
“We decided that we will do six out of six retentions. We came to this decision because we trust our talent. We also trust that we want to maintain and build with that core.
“We believe that the players we have retained are deserving. Of course, you have less money when you go to the auction, but there is a certain stability that you have blocked in some areas and then you can see how you have to make the whole team.”
As there is a change in the right to match (RTM) card rule, teams would need to be a lot more flexible and opens up the possibility of surprise.
“The rules of the RTM have also changed a bit, so we will definitely get to see something different in this auction. In the auction, you have to do some preparation and planning, but there you have to show some flexibility,” the T20 World Cup winning said.
