Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) do not have the resources compared to other teams to go after premier all-rounder Andre Russell at the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction. The Caribbean international finds himself back in the auction pool after being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recently during the retention deadline. Ad RR are on the lookout to usher in a new era, with a revamped batting unit without the pair of Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana. While the franchise have a loaded Indian contingent capable of playing in the top and the middle order, they lack firepower for the final phase of the innings. RR have brought in players like Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, and Sam Curran ahead of the auction through a trade, but Kaif feels that the team needs an experienced finisher to assist Shimron Hetmyer at the back end. Ad Trending “They cannot target Russell, because he is going to go for a lot, and they don’t have the purse for it. They won’t even get Cameron Green. So, those 3-4 crore player like Miller, they can target those, and the rest of the focus will be on the spinners. Who will bowl with Jadeja?” Kaif said on his YouTube channel. Ad “I think RR might target David Miller for their middle order, because they need another power hitter with Hetmyer there. Last season there were matches where they could not get over the line, there was one with a super over as well, those were matches that they had to win. They have plenty of players who can play at the top, even Jadeja and Curran can play in the top four,” he added. Ad After a busy trading window and several notable releases, RR have a purse of INR 16. 05 crore, the fourth-lowest among all franchises, along with nine slots in their squad. “They have to make do with whatever is left’ Mohammad Kaif on RR’s IPL 2026 Auction strategy Due to the stark contrast in RR’s purse and the amount that other franchises will walk into the auction with, Kaif does not believe that the inaugural champions could compete at the auction table. KKR walk into the auction with a staggering purse of INR 64. 30, almost four times that of RR, following a major clearout. Ad “KKR and CSK will dominate the auction, and then only RR will get the chance to raise the paddles for the players that are remaining. They will not get any specialist players in the auction, so they have to make do with whatever is left. This is why the Jadeja and Curran trade is so important for them. They planned that well,” Kaif added. The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini auction is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table, Result & squad -CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS Edited by Gokul Nair.
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