Sanju Samson’s future with the Rajasthan Royals remains in a limbo. The 30-year-old has officially handed in a request to be traded or released ahead of IPL 2026. Samson has spent 11 years with the franchise and interest is gathering in his services with the IPL trading window still active before the auction.
Interest in Samson rises, RR owner negotiating trade: Report
As per Cricbuzz, interest in Sanju Samson has risen following the breakdown of his relationship with the Rajasthan Royals. Samson requested to be traded or released ahead of the new season despite being under contract for two more seasons. The Royals are not standing in the way of their skipper, writing to other franchises for their interest in India’s T20I opener. Given the scale of the trade, owner Manoj Badale is personally spearheading all negotiations.
The report states Badale has even sought specific targets from franchises. It is believed that RR are close to sealing an agreement or have even sought one but have kept it under the wraps. Reports of a trade with Chennai Super Kings however have largely missed the mark. The 5-time champions are not keen to trade any of their current squad. CSK seem interested in a cash only deal or will go heavy should he be released into the auction pool. As for Royals, they requested Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad in exchange for their skipper. That request along with a potential deal involving Shivam Dube was brushed off.
While trade talks have picked up steam, Samson has maintained his silence. In a recent podcast with Ravichandran Ashwin, the 30-year-old expressed his love for the Rajasthan Royals. Despite some playful banter and some pointed trade talk, the Kerala star conducted himself in a dignified manner.
Buttler release behind Samson’s trade?
If reports are to be believed, there has been a complete break down in trust between Samson and the franchise. The Royals were the top performing team in the previous cycle but the mega auction meant that their core was exposed. One of the more contentious decisions was to release Jos Buttler. The England star was a run machine at the top of the order, winning the Orange Cap in RR’s run to the final in 2022. Instead, the management opted to retain Shimron Hetmyer.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, Samson said that releasing Buttler was one of the hardest decisions he made as a leader.
“Letting him go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me. During the England series, I told him over dinner that I was still not over it. If I could change one thing in the IPL, I would change the rule of releasing players every three years,” Samson had told Star Sports.
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