Irfan Pathan picks RR playing XII after IPL 2026 auction; slots Sam Curran in at No. 5

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has slotted England all-rounder Sam Curran at No. 5 while picking his Rajasthan Royals (RR) playing XII following the IPL 2026 auction, held on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. The inaugural IPL champions acquired nine players during the auction, including Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.2 crore.

Speaking in a YouTube video on Wednesday, December 17, Pathan backed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to open the innings, while placing Dhruv Jurel at No. 3, followed by Riyan Parag.

At No. 5, he slotted Sam Curran, who was traded in alongside Ravindra Jadeja from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Sanju Samson. Pathan then placed West Indies all-rounder Shimron Hetmyer at No. 6, followed by Jadeja. South Africa’s Donovan Ferreira, traded in from Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the auction, completed his top eight.

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“Very good buy” - Irfan Pathan on RR acquiring discarded India spinner

Irfan Pathan also commented on the Royals’ acquisition of discarded India spinner Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.2 crore. He said:

“Look, Ravi Bishnoi started his career as a net bowler and then progressed further, but now he has come full circle and returned home. He knows these conditions very well. He used to be a net bowler for Rajasthan. They have bought him for around ₹7 crore, which is a very good buy." "On this pitch, where there isn’t much bounce, if this low-trajectory bowler keeps hitting the right lengths, you will see a lot of LBW dismissals and bowleds.In Rajasthan’s team, it feels like there has definitely been an upgrade in the spin department. From one end, you have Jadeja, from the other end you have Ravi Bishnoi," he added.

Apart from Bishnoi, Pathan selected Tushar Deshpande and Jofra Archer to complete his playing XII and chose Sandeep Sharma as the Impact Player.

Irfan Pathan’s Rajasthan Royals playing XII for IPL 2026: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sam Curran, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi. Impact Player: Sandeep Sharma.

Edited by Dev Sharma