Chennai Super Kings (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan) In a successful trade ahead of IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have acquired veteran Indian batsman Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals (RR), while sending Men in Yellow legends Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to RR. The move marks one of the biggest trade deals in IPL history. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan described the decision to part ways with Jadeja as one of the toughest the franchise has faced. “We felt the need for a top-order Indian batsman and since there won’t be many Indian batsmen available in the auction, the best option was the trade window. Leaving Jadd was extremely difficult given his contribution to CSK’s success over the years,” Viswanathan said in a video released by the team.
IPL 2026 retained players: Who stayed where and for how much
Jadeja, who represented RR from 2008-09 and CSK from 2012 to 2025 (with brief stints at Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Gujarat Lions), departs as CSK’s leading wicket-taker with 143 scalps in 186 matches and their highest run-getter in IPL8 history with 2,199 runs.
Released by CSK players (2026)
No. Player Name Notes1Ravindra JadejaTraded to RR2Matheesha Pathirana
Released3Devon ConwayReleased4Rachin RavindraReleased5Sam CurranReleased to RR6Rahul TripathiReleased7Vansh BediReleased8C Andre SiddarthReleased9Deepak HoodaReleased10Vijay ShankarReleased11ShaikReleased11ShaikReleased1Rasheed
Retention of CSK players (2026)
No Player Name Remarks1Ruturaj GaikwadRetained2Ayush MhatreRetained3Dewald BrevisRetained4MS DhoniRetained5Urvil PatelRetained6Sanju SamsonTraded by RR7Shivam DubeRetained8Jamie OvertonRetained9Ramakrishna GhoshRetained10Nohale Ahmad KambojRetained13Gurjanpreet SinghRetained14Nathan EllisRetained15Shreyas GopalRetained16 Mukesh Choudhary MaintainedAuction details: CSK will have ₹ 43.4 crore to spend in the mega auction of IPL 2026. They have 9 spots left in the upcoming season.
