Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings and Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals trade has been the trending discussion ahead of the IPL retentions. If the swap were to materialize, Chennai will be losing an all-rounder and gaining a wicket-keeper batter. Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth has pointed out that although Samson is a superb player, it is important to have all-rounders in the side, and if CSK wanted to groom a successor to MS Dhoni, they already have Urvil Patel as an option available.
“Without Jadeja, who’s your all-rounder in CSK? Having an all-rounder is very important; it’s the key role in the T20 format. I am not discounting Samson, who’s superb. I’ve been reading that Sanju Samson will slowly be developed as the successor to Dhoni. But for that, you’ve Urvil Patel already. He’s also a wicketkeeper batter,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“By leaving Jadeja, CSK will have to scout for another all-rounder. Someone like Cameron Green is not a tried and tested material. He’s not a great all-rounder. He’s a batter who can bowl and fill in the four overs. He’s not a deadly bowler. Jadeja can win matches with his batting, bowling or fielding,” he added.
“Jadeja has also not got great opportunities with the bat the last two years. He would come in with two balls left. Even the crowd used to wait for him to get out so that Dhoni could come in, which was sad. Yes his strike rate wasn’t deadly in the 2025 season. But one has to see where he has batted and the situation of the game then. He doesn’t come at the top of the order. He comes at 6 or 7 predominantly so there’s only 10-12 balls to play at that time,” said Srikkanth
“Even Sanju Samson’s record in IPL 2025 is nothing great. It isn’t great that he just got starts in most matches when he’s batting top of the order. How many big scores did he make coming as an opener? Only one, a 60-odd. Anyone can just give starts, even Urvil Patel has been giving starts. I am not belittling Sanju Samson. This is only Samson in comparison to Jadeja. Samson is a brilliant cricketer,” Srikkanth concluded.
