5 RR Players Who Could Be Released Before IPL 2027 Auction
Rajasthan Royals had one of their best seasons in years in IPL 2026. They finished fourth in the league stage, sealed their spot with a win over Mumbai Indians on the last day, then beat Sunrisers Hyderabad easily in the Eliminator. Their run ended when Gujarat Titans beat them in Qualifier 2 — just one win away from the final.
That’s why this list is different. These aren’t release picks because RR had a bad year — they didn’t. This is about trimming a few weaker spots from a squad that’s already shown it can win, and freeing up money and slots without touching the core players. Here are five RR players whose IPL 2026 numbers put them in that conversation.
5 Players DC Could Release Before IPL 2027
| Player | Role | Matches | Key Stat | Economy/SR | Release Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shimron Hetmyer | Batter | 8 | 78 runs, avg 13.00 | SR 113.04 | Low output from a finisher role |
| Dasun Shanaka | All-rounder | 7 | 63 runs, 1 wicket | SR 136.95 / Econ 10.00 | Minimal returns with bat and ball |
| Adam Milne | Bowler | 1 | 0 wickets | — | High price, almost no game time |
| Kuldeep Sen | Bowler | 0 | No 2026 appearances | — | Zero matches, two seasons running |
| Sandeep Sharma | Bowler | 6 | 5 wickets | Econ 11.38 | High economy, low wicket return |
| Tushar Deshpande | Bowler | 7 | 4 wickets | Econ 11.95 | Borderline — past form better than this |
1. Shimron Hetmyer
The West Indian power-hitter has long been part of RR’s middle-order plans, prized for his ability to clear boundaries in the back half of an innings. IPL 2026 didn’t give the team much return on that reputation.
Shimron Hetmyer IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 8
- Innings: 7
- Runs: 78
- Batting average: 13.00
- Strike rate: 113.04
- Highest score: 22
- Fifties: 0
A strike rate just above 113 is unusually low for a player signed specifically for his hitting power, and an average of 13.00 across 7 innings means he wasn’t getting starts, let alone converting them. For a middle-order finisher whose entire value proposition is acceleration in the final overs, these numbers fall well short of what RR need from that role, especially with younger Indian batting options pushing for game time.
Why he could be released :
He’s known for hitting big, but this season he barely got going — low scores, a low strike rate, and almost no impact in the finishing overs he’s meant to specialise in.
2. Dasun Shanaka
The Sri Lankan all-rounder offered RR some flexibility with both bat and ball through IPL 2026, featuring in seven matches across the season, including a place in the XI for the Qualifier 2 defeat to Gujarat Titans. His overall output, though, was modest in both departments.
Dasun Shanaka IPL 2026 Stats:
Batting
- Matches: 7
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 63
- Batting average: 12.60
- Strike rate: 136.95
- Highest score: 29
Bowling
- Matches: 7
- Wickets: 1
- Bowling average: 60.00
- Economy rate: 10.00
- Best figures: 1/29
Shanaka’s case sits in the same bracket as Auqib Nabi’s in our DC piece — an all-rounder who didn’t get enough of either discipline to make a strong case either way. A batting average of 12.60 and just a single wicket across seven matches mean he wasn’t winning RR matches with bat or ball, even though he held a regular spot in the XI deep into the playoffs.
Why he could be released :
He played fairly often, but the numbers with both bat and ball stayed thin all season. When an all-rounder isn’t contributing much in either department, it’s hard to justify a regular spot the following year.
3. Adam Milne
Rajasthan signed the New Zealand pacer for ₹2.40 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, hoping his raw pace, regularly clocking above 150 kph, would add another dimension to the overseas bowling attack. He recovered from a hamstring injury in time for the season but barely featured once it started.
Adam Milne IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 1
- Wickets: 0
- Best figures: did not take a wicket
A single appearance across an entire IPL season, with no wickets to show for it, is about as thin a sample as it gets. With Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, and other overseas options already locking down RR’s foreign-player slots, Milne simply never got a sustained run in the XI to prove his price tag justified.
Why he could be released:
He played just one match all season and didn’t take a wicket in it. At a price north of ₹2 crore, that’s an extremely small return, especially with so much competition for RR’s overseas spots.
4. Kuldeep Sen
Sen’s IPL 2026 story is the starkest of the five. Retained by Rajasthan Royals for ₹75 lakh ahead of the season after returning from a spell at Punjab Kings where he didn’t play a single match, the right-arm seamer was hoping for a genuine opportunity back at his original franchise.
Kuldeep Sen IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 0
- Wickets: 0
That opportunity never came. Sen did not feature in RR’s playing XI at any point across IPL 2026, meaning he has now gone two consecutive IPL seasons, at two different franchises, without a single appearance. While his ₹75 lakh price tag is modest and doesn’t create financial pressure, an extended run of unused seasons is difficult for any franchise to justify continuing to back.
Why he could be released:
He hasn’t played a competitive IPL match in two years running, across two different teams. At some point, a bowler needs actual game time to be worth a squad spot, and Sen simply hasn’t been getting it.
5. Sandeep Sharma
A senior, experienced Indian pacer with a long IPL history, Sandeep was expected to offer control with the new ball and in the middle overs for Rajasthan in 2026. His season numbers suggest that control wasn’t consistently there.
Sandeep Sharma IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 6
- Wickets: 5
- Bowling average: 44.80
- Economy rate: 11.38
- Best figures: 2/26
An economy rate above 11.3 from an experienced operator is a concerning number, and five wickets from six matches isn’t enough to offset the runs conceded. Sandeep’s experience still carries some value as a squad option, but at this stage of his career, with RR also carrying younger Indian seam options, his place in the XI going forward looks less secure.
Why he could be released:
He’s an experienced bowler, but this season he leaked runs at a high rate and didn’t pick up enough wickets to make up for it. With younger options waiting in the wings, that combination makes him a release risk.
One More RR Names to Watch
Tushar Deshpande played a reasonable share of matches through the season but didn’t convert that opportunity into standout numbers: 7 matches, 4 wickets, bowling average 68.75, economy rate 11.95, best figures 1/24. The high economy and modest wicket return are concerns, but Deshpande has shown better IPL form in the past, and RR may decide his experience and death-bowling skill set are still worth one more season before any final call is made.
Why he’s a borderline case, in simple terms: His numbers this season weren’t good, but he’s shown he can bowl better than this in previous IPL seasons. It’s a genuine 50-50 call rather than a clear release case.
Where This Leaves RR
What separates this list from a typical “underperforming squad” piece is the context around it. Rajasthan Royals didn’t need a rebuild in 2026 — they qualified for the playoffs, beat a strong Sunrisers Hyderabad side in the Eliminator, and were one big chase away from the final. The names above are not signs of a broken team. They are fringe players in a strong squad led by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s historic IPL 2026 season and a settled core of Jaiswal, Jurel, Parag, and Archer.
That actually makes RR’s IPL 2027 auction calls more interesting, especially when compared with the other IPL 2027 released players who could enter the auction. A team coming off a near-miss campaign typically doesn’t blow up its core — it sharpens the edges. Expect Rajasthan to use releases like these to free up purse space and overseas slots, not to chase a dramatic reset, as they look to go one step further and finally add a second IPL title to their name.
This confirms Hetmyer’s prior history matters too: he also had a very ordinary season in IPL 2025 with just 239 runs in 13 innings at an average of 21.72 and a strike rate of 145.73, yet RR continued to place faith in him, retaining him ahead of the auction and adding Donovan Ferreira as a backup finisher.:
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Based on IPL 2026 performance, playing time, and role fit, the five players most likely to be in RR’s release conversation are Shimron Hetmyer, Dasun Shanaka, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, and Sandeep Sharma, with Tushar Deshpande as a borderline name worth watching.
No — RR actually had a strong campaign. They finished fourth in the league stage with 16 points, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Eliminator, and reached Qualifier 2 before losing to Gujarat Titans by seven wickets, missing the final by one match.
Sen did not play a single match for RR in IPL 2026, extending a run of zero appearances across two consecutive IPL seasons at two different franchises (Punjab Kings in 2025, RR in 2026). A prolonged lack of game time makes his squad spot hard to justify going forward.
Hetmyer played 8 matches and scored just 78 runs at an average of 13.00 and a strike rate of 113.04, with a highest score of 22 — modest returns for a finisher signed primarily for his power-hitting in the death overs.
It’s a real possibility. Milne, signed for ₹2.40 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, played just one match all season and didn’t take a wicket in it, leaving RR with very little return on a sizeable overseas investment.
