"We could very well be preparing our base for the next 5-6 years" - Royals skipper Sanju Samson sheds importance on the mega auction 

Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson believes the upcoming mega auction is vital to establishing the core of the side for the next cycle in the IPL.

The inaugural champions retained Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal after IPL 2021.

The Royals have been languishing in the bottom half of the table in recent editions and are desperate for a fresh start.

They appointed Samson as captain and roped in Kumar Sangakkara to the coaching staff prior to the 2021 IPL. However, the absence of their overseas stars affected their playoff ambitions.

Speaking about the importance of the upcoming auction, Samson said in an official release:

"This auction is really important because we know we could very well be preparing our base for the next 5-6 years. So, we've made sure to track everyone and give the opportunity to as many players as possible during the trials.

"Our goal is to now target the ones we think align with our vision, can embrace our values, and help our team get back to the top."

The Royals have the third-highest purse at the auction with INR 62 crore left. Only the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have a higher purse value.

The franchise has made some questionable overbids in past auctions, including the likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Chris Morris.

"It's really quite a comprehensive process" - Kumar Sangakkara on Royals' preparation for the auction

The period right before the auction tends to be one of the busiest for a franchise. The management and other personnel in the franchise conduct a series of mock auctions and have a lot of discussions with analysts and scouts.

Speaking about the extensive detail with which the backroom staff are conducting their preparations, franchise director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said:

"Our analytical assessments are detailed, right from the information we've collected on players to getting them integrated into a central database.

"We further filter the data, backed with a robust analytic process which enables us to arrive at the right metrics further refining our overall player identification process. It's really quite a comprehensive process."

The IPL mega auction will be conducted on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.