After a mixed season with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2025 season, Sanju Samson’s rumoured exit from the inaugural champions through a trade deal has dominated the chatter in the circles. The Indian Express on Thursday reported that the Kerala batter has indeed expressed his desire to the Royals to leave the franchise, ending a long association with the Jaipur-based team.
While Samson has been linked with a switch to the Chennai Super Kings in this period, former India opener Aakash Chopra opined that there was a more desperate team than the five-time champions to rope in the Rajasthan captain’s services imminently.
After the conclusion of the IPL 2025, Samson even met with CSK management and head coach Stephen Fleming during the Major League Cricket season in US. It is understood that Chennai are open to the idea of bringing the 30-year-old to Chepauk through a trade deal via cash.
However, Chopra believes three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders will be more keen to mark a reunion with Samson, after having first identified his potential and signed him up in 2012. Despite winning their third title under Shreyas Iyer in 2024, KKR let go of the young Mumbaikar for the senior statesman in Ajinkya Rahane. Chopra said an ageing Rahane’s lack of flexibility as a batter and the absence of an Indian wicket-keeper will spur interest for KKR in a Samson deal.
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“The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR don’t have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what’s wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“However, Ajinkya Rahane as a batter, either he opens or else the batting order has been a bit of a problem. They have a player they can release as well. If they wish, they can release Venkatesh Iyer, free up nearly ₹24 crore, and then they can actually make a difference,” he added.
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Ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, Rajasthan ended their association with England star Jos Buttler and went in with an Indian core. While they pinned their opening hopes on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Samson, the breakout performances of teenage star Vaibhav Suryavanshi may have influenced Samson’s decision.
“Why would Sanju Samson want to leave? It’s interesting because when the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go, and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick,” he said.
“I felt there would have been a massive input from Sanju in the players they retained or released. However, now it seems it might not have been there. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave. If he is thinking like that, it’s possible. These are conjectures. I don’t know what’s in his and Rajasthan’s minds,” Chopra observed.
