Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa, who played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, reacted to the media reports that stated that Sanju Samson has asked for his release from Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Uthappa claimed that Samson's rumored transfer was always a given for RR's choices during the 2025 Indian Premier League. Uthappa said that the Rajasthan Royals already have talented players at important batting positions, like Riyan Parag, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Where does that leave Samson? he asked, implying that the captain would probably be moved to number four, a position he might not like because he opens for India.

Uthappa further explained that the wicketkeeper-batter probably saw this as a “writing on the wall,” especially with RR’s tendency to back their youngsters.

"They have both Yashasvi, who has done really well for them, and Suryavanshi, who has absolutely smacked it out of the park, and Riyan Parag likes to bat at number three. Where does that leave Sanju Samson? A number four spot. Would I want to bat at number four when I am opening for India? Absolutely not. From his perspective, he probably felt that perhaps that won't change at RR, and they back their youngsters quite a bit, don't they?

That has been the culture there at RR. So, he probably sees it as a writing on the wall, perhaps, and so perhaps, he's trying to get a little bit ahead of the curve and say, 'Let me move now' so that I can go elsewhere and open the batting and still vie for that position at the top of the order in the Indian team. So that's perhaps a small reasoning as well,” Uthappa stated on his YouTube channel.

The same media reports also revealed that CSK are at the forefront in dealing with Sanju Samson's situation, as they want to get him in a trade from RR. They view him as the perfect replacement for MS Dhoni, but Sanju’s price tag of INR 18 crores is proving to be a hindrance.

"CSK for sure. If they are able to get him and if they are able to snap him up, then it'll do really well for him. I think the transition of MS Dhoni to the next wicketkeeper, who they already have in Sanju, has already been taken care of. Otherwise, they would have to look at, say, at this point, say Devon Conway as a wicketkeeping option. But if he comes on board, there is a lot of good that can happen for CSK," he said.

Uthappa stated that CSK should offer a couple of all-rounders along with R. Ashwin to get Sanju Samson in their team.

"What they don't have? They only have Shimron Hetmyer at six. They don't have a finisher at number six or seven. Maybe Sam Curran. Vijay Shankar could be the one who goes with Ashwin as well. That could happen. He's a pretty decent bowler, but they haven't utilized him.

I think perhaps Rajasthan also feels Sanju doesn't want to be there anymore, so if a player doesn't want to be there, why do we have to keep him? Give him what he wants. In that sense, I think it makes sense for them," Uthappa said.