Grapevine has it that Sanju Samson has fallen out with Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid. A franchise insider denies this. “Absolute nonsense,” he says. The tone about Sanju’s future, however, has changed. A few months ago, it was: “He will remain RR captain for the foreseeable future.” Now, asked about if the player has handed in a transfer request, the response is: “Not that I have heard of this.”
That Sanju wants to leave Royals is now one of the worst-kept secrets in the IPL circles. Whether he has problems with the head coach or the franchise management is a matter of conjecture. Unlike football, where a player holds significant control in a transfer, the IPL makes the franchise all-powerful in case of contracted players. Royals had forked out Rs 18 crore to retain Sanju ahead of the mega auction last term. They can keep the player for two more seasons, ignoring the player’s wish. They can trade him to a rival franchise or send him into the auction.
Talking about the close-season trading, it is learnt thatChennai Super Kings are closely monitoring the situation. There reportedly have been informal talks between CSK people and Sanju after the 2025 IPL. Asked about if any formal approach has been made, a top CSK official told RevSportz: “No, not yet.”
CSK are a mature franchise and will not cross the ethical boundary. They respect that Sanju is a Royals player and will open formal negotiations only if his current team puts him up for sale. They followed this process while roping in Robin Uthappa via close-season trading ahead of the 2021 IPL.
With a question mark over MS Dhoni’s future as a player, the five-time IPL champions are in search of an established Indian wicketkeeper-batter.
Sanju, who was appointed Royals captain in 2021, played only nine matches in the 2025 IPL, as he was nursing a side strain. Riyan Parag was the stand-in skipper in his absence. According to sources, however, if the franchise decides to part ways with the 30-year-old, Yashasvi Jaiswal will be a strong contender to take over the mantle. Royals have also invested heavily on Vaibhav Suryavanshi and he, along with Jaiswal, forms an impact opening partnership. With Dhruv Jurel in their ranks, the ‘keeper-batter’s position is also sorted.
Time will tell if Royals will accede to Sanju’s request. But franchises are usually reluctant to have unwilling horses on board.
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