Sanju Samson has asked Rajasthan Royals for his release ahead of IPL 2026 auction.
Since RR has constructed its squad around the Kerala star, Srikkanth claimed that his release would negatively impact the team's balance.
Samson has reportedly requested that the Rajasthan Royals release or trade him; therefore, it appears that the two teams will part ways at the end of the season. He is reportedly being courted by the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, but the Royals have the last say over all matters, including whether to trade or not.
“Going by the reports, there seems to be a rift between him and Rahul Dravid, but I am not fully aware. Look at it from a franchise point of view. They have paid him a certain amount and retained him. They have formed the team around him. All of a sudden, if you release him, what happens to the team balance? They haven’t won the IPL since 2008,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“They have reached the final after that. I don’t think I would let go of Sanju Samson. If they want to promote Riyan Parag as captain, that is their choice. I would still play Samson as a batter. He’s been paid INR 18 crore," he added.
Samson is RR's longest-serving captain in addition to being their highest-scoring batsman. Parag filled in as captain for the seven games he was unable to lead, but he only saw two victories. RR finished 9th in the IPL 2025 with four wins from 14 games.
Srikkanth went on to say that he would be happy to join CSK as MS Dhoni's future replacement if the Royals were still willing to let him go.
“To tell you the truth, Sanju is a brilliant player, and he’s very popular in Chennai. He’s got a good brand image in Chennai. As I said, I’ll be the first one to pick him for Chennai if he is willing to leave and come this side.
He’s the right replacement for MS Dhoni. Dhoni can play this season, maybe not the year after, and then you can have a smooth transition. But I feel if Ruturaj Gaikwad has been given the captaincy, he should be continued with," Srikkanth concluded.
CSK was the first side rumored to be interested in Sanju Samson, once the reports of him and RR parting ways started.