Sanju Samson has expressed his gratitude to Rajasthan Royals through social media following his exchange to Chennai Super Kings for the 2026 Indian Premier League season.In a major IPL trade, Samson moved to CSK while Rajasthan Royals received Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange.
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“We are only here for a short time. WE have given everything to this franchise, enjoyed great cricket, made some lifelong relationships, treated everyone in the franchise like family..And when the time comes..I AM GONE..I will always be grateful for everything @rajasthanroyals,” Samson wrote on his social media. The trade deal maintains Samson’s existing price of Rs 18 crore to CSK. Jadeja’s fee has been revised to Rs 14 crore from Rs 18 crore, while Curran moves to RR at Rs 2.4 crore.Samson’s association with Rajasthan Royals spans over a decade and spans 11 seasons. He joined the team in 2013 and was retained the following year at the age of 19.After a two-year suspension from RR, Samson returned in 2018 and became captain in 2021. Under his leadership and that of Kumar Sangakkara as team director, RR reached their first IPL final since 2008 in 2022.As captain, Samson led RR in 67 matches with 33 wins and 33 losses. His performance peaked in 2024 with 531 runs at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.47, including five fifties.Despite being retained in 2025 for Rs 18 crore, a side injury forced him to miss half the season. RR’s performance declined, resulting in ninth place among ten teams.In the 2025 season, Samson scored 285 runs in nine innings, maintaining an average above 35 and a strike rate in excess of 140, with one fifty.During RR’s suspension in 2016 and 2017, Samson played for Delhi Capitals.During his tenure, Samson became RR’s highest run-scorer in the IPL and Champions League T20, amassing 4,219 runs in 155 matches at an average of 31.96 and a strike rate of over 140, including two centuries and 26 fifties.
