Why Sanju Samson left Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026? Franchise owner makes big revelation

Sanju Samson’s much-anticipated transfer from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings has been confirmed as all ten teams released their lists of retained and released players in preparation for the IPL 2026 auction. Joining five-time champions CSK, Samson was part of a landmark swap deal that saw veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran move to the inaugural champions. This trade marks the end of Jadeja’s 13-year tenure at CSK. The transaction is considered the biggest in the IPL since Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya moved to Mumbai Indians two years ago and signals the end of Samson’s extensive journey with the 2008 champion Royals.

Interestingly, the right-handed batsman has been with RR since his IPL debut in 2013, barring a couple of seasons with Delhi Capitals during a period when RR was facing a two-year suspension with CSK due to corruption allegations.

In a video posted by RR on its YouTube channel, franchise owner Manoj Badale revealed that Samson felt emotionally drained and expressed his desire to leave the team after losing narrowly in an away match against Kolkata Knight Riders last season.

“The first time this year or last year that Sanju talked about moving on was probably in Kolkata towards the end of the season. We had a meeting after the match. He is a very honest man. He was drained personally and emotionally. He cares a lot about RR and I think having our worst season in 18 years took a lot out of him. After giving RR the best part of 14 years with a short break, he felt he needed a new chapter to freshen up. It’s the end of his IPL journey,” Badale said in the video.

Badale declared that appointing Samson as captain in 2021 was a bold gamble. Under his leadership, RR progressed to the finals of the 15th season in 2022, their first appearance at that level since their inaugural season in 2008, but they ultimately fell to IPL newcomers Gujarat Titans in the championship match.

“When Sanju made this request, I felt different for us because he is a very unique guy; if he says something, he usually means it. He has been an outstanding servant of the franchise for 14 years. What the fans see is not just the strike or the sixes, but everything he puts up.”

“When we decided to make him captain, it was a high-risk move. He was a young and inexperienced captain but he put his all into this role. There was a lot of emotion from our fans and the team that has grown under Sanju’s management. I am emotional about it too,” he added.

Referring to the ongoing discussions on social media, Badale stated that the franchise is currently going through turmoil, which has led to the notable departure of Samson and Rahul Dravid.

“While there is some sort of narrative in the media that the Rajasthan Royals are in chaos, people are leaving, Rahul is gone, the reality is that it doesn’t feel that way internally. We have set a process and a timeline internally. We are maybe a week later than we had hoped, maybe two weeks later, but everything feels very calm here,” Badale said.

“But when you put in a key player like Sanju Samson, everyone is interested. We have a group of people who look at every trade option presented to us and you know, we would meet regularly as a group but my role was to lead the discussions, not to make decisions,” he added.

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