Sanju Samson, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals and one of the brightest wicketkeepers along with batters confirms that he does not wish to continue being a part of the franchise. On August 7, reports by Cricbuzz, ESPN Cricinfo, and Indian Express confirmed that the 30- year old Kerala cricketer, who is also the most capped player in the IPL at the RR as well as the highest run-scorer and most successful captain in the franchise history, has officially requested RR to either trade him or release him as he heads to the IPL 2026 auctions.
Chennai Super Kings Eye Sanju Samson
Inside a day of reports emerging of Samson seeking to leave Rajasthan Royals, the Indian Express said that five time IPL titlists Chennai Super Kings are keen to add him to their squad. After the IPL season 2025, Samson flew to the US where he met with CSK management and head coach Stephen Fleming and both parties discussed the prospects of moving to CSK.
It is clear that Chennai are willing to entertain a trade off where they will acquire the 30-year-old to Chepauk by paying cash. But it has hit a roadblock, with Rajasthan preferring an exchange of two players from Chennai,” Indian Express noted.
Other IPL Teams Interested in Samson
Along with Chennai Super Kings, three time champions Kolkata Knight Riders are also interested in the signature of Samson. Yet, the sources say that Samson is especially eager to join Chennai due to several factors.
The prior affiliation of Samson was with KKR. He was with the Gautam Gambhir team which lifted the IPL trophy in 2012, where he did not feature in a single match in the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise then.
“According to those in the know, the chances of Samson entering the auctions are highly likely at this stage if both Rajasthan and Chennai don’t reach an agreement,” the report added.
Sanju Samson’s IPL Journey and Impact
Sanju Samson debuted in IPL, 2013 and till date has played 177 games in IPL as a player of Rajasthan Royals and also Delhi Capitals (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils) scoring 4704 runs. His scoring ability in the league is evidenced by three centuries and 26 half-centuries with the right handed wicketkeeper-batter.
In 2022, under him, Rajasthan Royal were the runner up in IPL. Samson is a 3-time winner in 67 IPL matches he has captained RR. This is the worth that Rajasthan Royals attached to him such that he was retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction IPL 2025 at Rs 18 crore.
