Rumors of Sanju Samson leaving Rajasthan Royals for Chennai Super Kings after IPL 2025 sparked speculation. However, the franchise has firmly denied these rumors, confirming Samson’s position as the team’s captain.
The rumours of Sanju Samson leaving the Rajasthan Royals have been rife after the conclusion of the IPL 2025. The Royals had yet another disappointing season as they finished ninth on the points table with just four wins and 10 losses in 14 outings.
After the Rajasthan Royals’ season concluded with a victory over Chennai Super Kings in their final league stage match, there were speculations that the IPL 2025 could be last for Samson at the Royals. The rumours suggested that the wicketkeeper-batter has been targeted by the Chennai Super Kings, who are looking to trade their few players for Sanju Samson.
It was reported that the Chennai-based IPL franchise was considering Samson as a potential replacement for MS Dhoni, whose future in the tournament remains uncertain. Reportedly, a senior CSK official expressed the franchise’s desire to sign Sanju Samson if he was available for trade ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
Is Samson leaving Rajasthan Royals?
Over the past few months, rumours around Sanju Samson leaving the Rajasthan Royals have been swirling around social media, but the franchise has firmly shut down all such speculations.
As per the report of the Times of India (TOI), the source close to the Rajasthan Royals stated that the franchise is not considering trading Sanju Samson, adding that the wicketkeeper is an ‘undisputed captain’ of the team.
“RR have decided not to trade Samson or any of their players. Samson is very much a part of the Royals set-up and the undisputed captain of the team.”
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Sanju Samson had a good outing with the ball in the IPL 2025, aggregating 285 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 35.62 in nine matches. Samson did not keep wickets for the first three matches, as he did not receive clearance from the BCCI medical team for his injured finger, and thus, Riyan Parag took over as captain.
Thereafter, he was ruled out of five matches due to an abdominal injury and young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi replaced him in the playing XI.
Samson’s association with the Royals
Sanju Samson joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2013 after the scouting team spotted his talent during the trials. Since then, the Kerala cricketer has been part of the franchise, barring 2016 and 2017 when the Royals were suspended for two years due to match-fixing allegations. During those two seasons, Samson played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).
In 2021, Sanju Samson was appointed as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals, and a year later, he led the team to their first final since the inaugural season in 2008, but they failed to get hold of the trophy after losing to the debutant Gujarat Titans.
In the IPL 2024, Samson took the Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs, where they defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2.
Sanju Samson is the most successful captain for the Rajasthan Royals, having led the team to 33 wins in 67 matches. He is also the leading run-getter for the side in the IPL, amassing 4027 runs, including 2 centuries and 21 fifties, at an average of 31.70 in 149 matches.