IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Eye Jadeja, Gaikwad Or Dube In Sanju Samson Trade. The ongoing IPL trade window has taken an unexpected twist as Rajasthan Royals (RR) are now rumored to have approached Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a trade proposal—of trading their captain, Sanju Samson, for Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, or Shivam Dube. Reports indicate that CSK refused the approach because they are not willing to lose any of these players.
Sanju Samson’s Rift With RR Management
The news comes amid increased speculation over Samson’s future at RR. According to sources, there have been tensions between the player and the franchise for some time. The trigger of a greater extent was the management’s release of Jos Buttler ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Samson disagreed with this decision strongly. The two players enjoyed a close working relationship; therefore, the release was a blow to him both professionally and personally.
There have been clear signs of growing displeasure; for example, the major shift in batting strategy with the emergence of young batting talents like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, along with the growing role of Dhruv Jurel. There have also been discussions around benefiting from Riyan Parag’s leadership abilities, leading to speculation that there is a diminishing of influence in the team for Sanju.
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RR has a dilemma with Samson from a contract point of view. Samson is still under contract for ₹18 crore before the last mega-auction and has two years left. If RR is to force him to stay when he doesn’t want to, it could cause morale issues; however, if he leaves without a strong trade return, the rest of the squad will look weak.
CSK rejected the first proposal, so RR now needs to consider whether they can renegotiate terms or whether they would need to let him go at the IPL 2026 mini auction (with reports indicating KKR is interested).
