Is Sanju Samson headed out of Rajasthan Royals and into CSK or KKR?

Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals’ most capped player and highest run-getter, may be on his way out of the franchise. Samson has been part of the Royals since 2013, when he was still a teenager. Apart from the IPLs in 2016 and 2017 when the franchise was suspended, he has stayed with the Royals all through. He has captained the team for 67 matches, also the highest for the Royals, and led them in IPL 2025 too.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, “serious differences” have now cropped up between Samson and the Royals management, which has led to the player asking to be traded out to another team or be released into the auction. The report further said that members of Samson’s family, as well as a number of current and former IPL cricketers, have said that the wicketkeeper-batsman doesn’t want to stay with Rajasthan Royals any longer, and that the relationship between the player and the franchise is no longer what it was.

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The call to release or trade Samson ultimately rests with the Royals because, within a mega-auction cycle, players can’t unilaterally decide to move out of a franchise. The franchise themselves do have the right to release or trade a player out, as they have been doing for years. However, if the Royals don’t want to let Samson go, he will have to stay at the franchise for two years till the next mega-auction, which is scheduled ahead of IPL 2028.

Who will Samson go to?

No IPL franchise will say no to getting a player of Samson’s stature, experience and quality. He is an India regular in the T20I squad, an IPL superstar, and brings in the additional bonus of being able to take the gloves as well as captain. 

The only similar profile player to go under the hammer recently was Rishabh Pant, whose auction price of ₹27 crore is the highest ever. While Pant could arguably be a bigger ‘brand’, Samson’s T20 record is superior to Pant’s. So if he makes it to the auction, expect a bidding frenzy that could top even Pant’s auction price.

If a trade is on the cards, the franchises that are likely to be front-runners for Samson are KKR and CSK. 

While CSK have the wicketkeeping option covered for now with MS Dhoni, Samson provides them with the ideal succession plan. Dhoni doesn’t have too many years left in him as an active player, and Samson could slot neatly into their set-up. Whether he gets the captaincy too, or CSK continue to keep the faith in Ruturaj Gaikwad, remains to be seen.

KKR too will enormously benefit from having Samson in the ranks. They need a proven wicketkeeper-batter at the top of the order, as well as a leadership option. Samson ticks all boxes for them. 

DC, too, could vie for Samson’s services. Their top-order was misfiring during IPL 2025, and the addition of Samson could be the right momentum injection their batting needs. 

Also Read: ‘Career destroyed by egos’: Sanju Samson’s Champions Trophy 2025 snub leaves Shashi Tharoor fuming

While these three franchises have the most obvious spots available for a player of Samson’s profile, almost every team would benefit from having him in the ranks, so you can’t rule out anyone else making a play for him either. 

Samson’s history at Rajasthan Royals

While the Royals will have the final say over whether Samson can leave now or not, it is worth considering whether a franchise will benefit from keeping a player who is unhappy with them and doesn’t want to be there. To that end, the Royals’ best strategy would be to trade Samson out and get a good player in return, along with some cash payment. Trading him out for only cash will not serve any purpose because it’s not like they can pick up anyone equivalent in the auction with the extra money – since there is no player of Samson’s profile available. 

Even if they get a good player though, the departure of Samson will mark an end to a storied saga for the player and team.

Samson has played 155 matches for Rajasthan. The next highest is Ajinkya Rahane with only 106. He has captained the Royals 67 times, with Shane Warne second at 56. Most importantly perhaps, he has scored 4,219 runs for the franchise, at an average of 32 and a strike-rate of 140.5. Rahane is the second-highest run-getter, at a distant 3,098.

He has been an absolutely elite batter, captain and keeper for the Royals, and it will not be easy to replace him.