Sanju Samson’s long-contemplated departure from the Rajasthan Royals, where he was an established star and captain, finally became a reality as the Chennai Super Kings completed a high-profile player trade for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
The move follows what appeared to be growing differences between Samson and the Royals’ management, leading the player to seek a new franchise. To finalise the deal, CSK parted with key player and former captain Ravindra Jadeja, alongside English all-rounder Sam Curran.
Taking to social media, Samson reflected on his time with Rajasthan, stating he gave the franchise his all but felt it was the right “time” to move on.
“We are only here for a short period of time,” he wrote on Instagram. “Gave MY everything to this franchise, enjoyed some great cricket, made some lifetime relations, treated everyone in the franchise as my family..And when its time..I AM moving On..Shall always be grateful for everything @rajasthanroyals.”
As per an official league statement, Samson will join CSK for the next season at his existing price of ₹18 crore. As part of the agreement, Jadeja’s league fee was revised from ₹18 crore to ₹14 crore, while Curran will move to RR at his existing price of ₹2.4 crore.
Samson had been the face of the Rajasthan Royals for over a decade, representing the franchise across 11 seasons. After joining in 2013, he quickly became a key player and was retained ahead of the 2014 auction at just 19 years of age. During his tenure, he amassed 4,027 runs for RR, led them to the final in 2022, and recorded a career-best season of 531 runs in 2024.
‘I wanted to be around MS Dhoni’
Samson also shared his dream of being close to veteran Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.
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“As every young Indian cricketer, I wanted to be around MS Dhoni. Every single time you meet him, every single time you know that you’re going to play against CSK, it’s like you want to sit with Mahi bhai, talk to him, understand how he does things. Even just sitting around him was a dream as a young cricketer,” Samson said in a video posted by Star Sports on X.
“When I came to play the IPL, after the match, I thought of meeting him. But several people were already there to meet him. I went and met him in the 8th year of my IPL. I waited to help my side win a match against the CSK. I made some runs and won the POTM. After that, I went and met him. After that, my relationship has been going upwards. It has been a very blessed feeling. I have done shoots with him. It feels like a dream,” he added.
