Samson was retained for Rs 18 crore ahead of the mega auction last November.
Talks regarding Sanju Samson’s possible exit from Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction are gathering momentum.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Samson had formally asked the Royals to release or trade him amid deepening cracks in their relationship.
RR have approached all franchises while exploring trade options, but as per reports, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are most strongly linked to the saga.
Amid the buzz, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that the trade between RR and CSK for Samson is not going to work.
Samson was retained for Rs 18 crore ahead of the mega auction last November, but missed several games of the season owing to injury.
Sharing his thoughts on the possible trade with CSK, Ashwin argued that the deal might not happen as RR are unlikely to get valuable players in return.
“Why the CSK-RR trade won’t work is because if Sanju is traded to CSK, and RR then try to trade with other teams, they’re unlikely to get valuable players in return. For example, if RR want a spinner like Ravi Bishnoi and approach LSG, the problem is that if LSG acquire Sanju and give away Bishnoi, they also have to manage the remaining purse required to retain Sanju — which becomes LSG’s responsibility. CSK generally don’t believe in trading. They aren’t going to trade players like Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. So, in all likelihood, Sanju coming to CSK is bleak, for the reasons I’ve explained. RR don’t have much to gain from this kind of trade,” said Ashwin on his YouTube Channel.
Samson kicked off his IPL career at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012, but didn’t get to play a single match. He was signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the auction next year and went on to make his IPL debut. After playing for RR till 2015, he was fetched by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, he again returned to RR in 2018 and even led them to their second-ever final in 2022, but ended up on the losing side.
Hence, Samson has been an integral member of the RR squad for a number of seasons. It remains to be seen if he decides to stay or part ways with the Jaipur-based franchise for 2026 edition.