India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson is set to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming IPL season, starting March 28.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline last November, Samson was traded to CSK by Rajasthan Royals (RR), who got Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange.

Commenting on Samson’s departure, RR’s newly-appointed skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday (March 19) said the void cannot be filled as finding a replacement for India’s T20 World Cup 2026 hero is as impossible as replacing legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian team.

Samson will enter the 19th edition of IPL after playing a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup title defence. He finished as the competition’s third highest run-getter with 321 runs from just five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37.

The Kerala lad produced match-winning knocks of 97* (50 balls) in the virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies, 89 (42 balls) against England in the semifinal, and another 89 (46 balls) in the final against New Zealand. Deservingly, he earned the Player-of-the-Tournament accolade.

"If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference.

"We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skill-set or have someone bat in his position...It's like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player," he added.

Sanju Samson’s record as RR skipper is 33 wins and 33 losses in 67 matches, making him the most successful captain for the franchise. Under his leadership, the team reached their first IPL final since 2008 in 2022 and also qualified for the playoffs twice.

However, the Royals endured a difficult last season, suffering 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10-team standings.

Reflecting on RR’s dismal campaign, Parag said they lost far too many close games last year and the inaugural IPL champions need better strategy and planning.

"This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn't do in the previous edition," Parag stated.

"We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches," he explained.

"I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different," he added.

Riyan Parag also thanked the franchise management for keeping faith in him despite several seasons of struggle.

"I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am," Parag said.

Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara backed the decision to name Parag as Samson’s successor.

"It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He's right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot," Sangakkara said.

"The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become.

"We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan," Sangakkara added.

(With PTI Inputs)