Sanju Samson’s future in the IPL is still not clear. Rajasthan Royals (RR) may lose their skipper ahead of the 2026 season. Earlier, reports suggested that the RR skipper had asked the franchise to release him. Since then, several IPL team names have come up. But there is still no confirmation from either Samson or the Royals. (BCCI Photo)
2/7
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CSK has been the most mentioned team in recent days as his possible new destination. Reports even said that RR approached CSK for a trade. They asked for Ruturaj Gaikwad or Ravindra Jadeja in exchange for Samson. But the five-time champions rejected that offer. So, the chances of seeing Samson in CSK colours look slim for now. For CSK fans, the move would have made sense. (BCCI Photo)
3/7
MS Dhoni has been the face of the franchise for years. The wicketkeeper-batter could retire in one or two seasons. A close like-for-like replacement might only be Sanju Samson. He could then take the team forward. (PTI Photo)
4/7
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) KKR could be another team interested in Samson. They failed to defend their title last season and had a poor run under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy. As a batter, Rahane made some good contributions. But as skipper, he did not impress. KKR finished in eighth position in the points table, with just five wins in 14 games.
Another big issue was their vice-captain, Venkatesh Iyer. KKR spent a massive INR 23.75 crore to get him. But he failed to deliver. Iyer scored 142 runs in 11 games, including one fifty. The franchise may now look to trade Iyer for Samson. That would also free up a huge budget. Samson could then be their captain and a reliable opener. (AP Photo)
6/7
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) SRH could also consider a trade deal with Ishan Kishan for Samson. Ishan did hit a century last season but lacked consistency. He scored 354 runs in 13 innings, including that century. He batted at number three in most matches but struggled. Samson could be a better fit in that role. He can provide stability to the SRH batting order if given the number three slot. (IPL Photo)
7/7
Delhi Capitals (DC) DC could also enter the picture. They could try to hijack the deal by trading Rahul for Samson. For DC, Samson would bring value as an opening batter and wicketkeeper. He can also be a leader. That would take the captaincy pressure off Axar Patel in the future. (BCCI Photo)
Snehasis Mukherjee is Data Analyst and Senior Publisher with RevSportz.
