IPL 2026: Why Sanju Samson left Rajasthan Royals to join Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson, player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026, finally broke his silence on leaving Rajasthan Royals and joining Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2026. He revealed that in the middle of IPL 2025, he started feeling that it was time to leave Rajasthan Royals. He was traded by Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals after the conclusion of IPL 2025 for INR 18 crore. At that time, Rajasthan Royals management also announced that Sanju Samson had decided to leave the franchise. In exchange for Sanju Samson, RR signed Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to their team.
Sanju Samson stated that he believed his time with the Royals was coming to an end, which is why he made the decision to depart. Furthermore, he said that he wouldn't mind playing for CSK against the Rajasthan Royals. CSK will start their IPL 2026 campaign against RR at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Monday, March 30.
“This is the first time I will play against the Rajasthan Royals, but I don't let emotions rule me on the field. I left Rajasthan Royals because I felt my time in the team was over. Even if we come up against them now, I will play my best cricket,” Samson told the media in Thiruvananthapuram.
Furthermore, he said that he has already spoken to MS Dhoni about joining CSK. He also mentioned the Chennai Crowd, who were cheering and applauding him during the India vs Zimbabwe T20 World Cup 2026 match.
"I am really excited to be part of CSK. I had spoken to Dhoni over the phone and had shared the dressing room with him when I was in the Indian team. I always had positive vibes after interaction with Dhoni bhai. This will be different as I will be spending close to two months with Dhoni in CSK, and I am eagerly looking forward to it. It will be a great opportunity for me to observe him from close quarters and learn from him,’’ he said.
"I was surprised by the support I got from the Chennai crowd during the World Cup. I think I am lucky. Maybe they see me as one of them. I don’t want to disappoint them in the IPL and will give my best for CSK’’ he said.
Sanju Samson IPL stats
Sanju Samson has scored 4704 runs in 172 innings, including 3 centuries and 26 half-centuries. He played with an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of 139.04. He started his IPL career for the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. He played till 2015 for this franchise. Following this, when Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were suspended for 2 years in 2016 & 2017, he was acquired by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2016 2016 for 4.2 crore INR. He played for DC in 2016 & 2017. He returned to RR in 2018 and has been a key part of the team ever since. Under his captaincy, RR even reached the final in 2022.
