Sanju Samson: Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has reportedly formally asked the franchise to trade him or release him into the auction. A Cricbuzz report said that disagreements between him and RR had escalated to such a degree that Samson requested to either play for a different franchise or be acquired by a new team in the auction.
The report also noted that Samson’s family members felt he no longer wanted to play for the inaugural IPL champions. Samson has been associated with RR during two different phases.
He played three seasons for them from 2013 to 2015, before moving to the Delhi franchise after RR was suspended for two seasons. He returned to play for them in 2018 and has been retained twice before the mega auctions in 2022 and 2024.
CSK express interest in signing Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026
In July 2025, reports emerged that five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were interested in signing Sanju Samson ahead of the 2026 season. A CSK official, on the condition of anonymity, said that if the 30-year-old was available, they would consider bringing him into their lineup.
“We are definitely looking at Sanju. He is an Indian batter, who is a keeper and an opener. So if he is available, we will certainly have a look at the option of having him in our fold. Who we will trade him with we have not taken that call because the matter has not gone that far. But yes, in principle, we are interested,” the official had said.
Sanju Samson only played in nine of the 14 matches for RR in IPL 2025. He scored 285 runs with a strike rate of 140.39. The franchise finished the season in ninth place on the points table.
