Follow UsThe Sanju Samson IPL 2026 Trade has once again found a new lease of life as new reports come out stating a formal request being issued by Sanju Samson himself to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) management with an interest in being released or traded to another IPL franchise, bringing an end to his eight-year association with the inaugural IPL Champions.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seem to be the front-runners in this expected trade, as there have been reports of this since the completion of IPL 2025 in early June. If the trade becomes a reality, here are three CSK players whom RR would want in exchange for Sanju Samson.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the perfect like-for-like exchange as he too is the current captain of Chennai Super Kings, holding the same position as Samson in the Rajasthan franchise and has a similar salary of 18 crores from their current franchise. Gaikwad can fulfil the batting position of Samson as he too can open the batting or bat at #3 like Samson did in recent years.
Gaikwad has a fair bit of experience in keeping wickets as well. This might not be a major issue as the RR team already have a readymade keeper in the playing 11 in Dhruv Jurel. The addition of Gaikwad will stabilise an already strong top order of RR with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Dewald Brevis is another great option for RR to sign in exchange for Samson. The 22-year-old Proteas basher had a breakout IPL 2025 coming in as a replacement and being a dominant force in the middle order.
Brevis coming out at #5 will boost the scoring rate of the Royals in the middle overs as he can take on both pace and spin. He can also provide occasional leg spin bowling if needed.
Brevis was signed for three crores by the Chennai franchise for IPL 2025. If RR manage to sign him in exchange, they can increase their purse size by 15 crores at least heading into the 2026 IPL Auction.
Noor Ahmad can be a game-changing signing in exchange for Samson, as the Afghanistan Spinner will improve RR’s bowling department tenfold. He is an X-Factor bowler who can get wickets at crucial moments and derail the opposition batting lineup. He had a fantastic IPL 2025, taking 24 wickets, finishing the season as the second-highest wicket-taker.
Noor Ahmad was signed by CSK for 10 crores in the IPL 2025 Auction. Signing him in exchange for 18 crore worth Sanju Samson will increase the purse balance of RR by a minimum of eight crores.