Rajasthan Royals captain and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson wants to leave the team. On Thursday (August 7), Cricbuzz, ESPN Cricinfo and Indian Express said that the 30-year-old player from Kerala, who has played the most matches for RR, scored the most runs, and is their most successful captain, has asked the team to trade him or release him before the IPL 2026 auction.
A day after this news, Indian Express said that Chennai Super Kings, the five-time IPL winners, want to take Samson. After IPL 2025, Samson also met the CSK management and their head coach Stephen Fleming in the United States.
Indian Express reported that Chennai Super Kings are ready to bring the 30-year-old to Chepauk through a trade deal for cash. But it has hit a problem because Rajasthan wants two players from Chennai in exchange.
Apart from CSK, Kolkata Knight Riders, the three-time IPL winners, are also interested in signing Samson. But Samson seems more interested in moving to Chennai for many reasons.
Samson was with KKR in the past. He was part of the Gautam Gambhir-led team that won the IPL in 2012, but he did not get a chance to play any match for them.
According to reports, if Rajasthan and Chennai cannot reach an agreement, Samson may enter the IPL 2026 auction.
Samson’s IPL record
Since his IPL debut in 2013, Samson has played 177 matches for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils), scoring 4704 runs. He has made three centuries and 26 fifties. Under his captaincy, Rajasthan Royals reached the IPL final in 2022.