Follow UsThe rumours of Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson getting traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are getting stronger by the day. If it does end up happening, it will be one of the biggest trades in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
CSK had their worst IPL season in 2025, finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their history. They managed to win only four of their 14 fixtures and struggled badly throughout the season.
The Royals didn’t do much better either, winning the same number of games and finishing just above CSK on the points table. Samson struggled with an injury and featured in only nine games in IPL 2025, scoring 285 runs at an average of 35.62 and a strike rate of 140.39.
Overall, Samson has slammed 4,704 runs in his IPL career at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of 139.04, studded with three centuries and 26 fifties.
The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter would be a perfect replacement for MS Dhoni, who will be almost 45 by the time IPL 2026 starts. There is still no official update on whether MSD will turn up for CSK next season, but there’s a strong possibility that he could return for another year.
You never know - the Super Kings could even appoint Samson as their new skipper, as Ruturaj Gaikwad hasn’t quite done justice to the legacy Dhoni left behind as CSK captain.
If the trade does go through and it’s an all-cash deal, here’s what CSK’s playing XI could look like in IPL 2026:
Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana (impact player)