IPL 2026: Sanju Samson Seeks Trade from RR

IPL franchises continue to prepare for the auction and the new season of one of the world’s premier cricket leagues. One of the hottest stories of the offseason remains the situation with RR skipper Sanju Samson. Until recently, it was believed that the player would remain with his team, sharing its desire to improve on the results of the unsuccessful 2025 IPL season. However, everything changed recently. According to insider information, RR received an official request from Samson to trade or release him ahead of the 2026 IPL auction.

The player wants to leave 

In the IPL 2025, RR finished ninth in the table, with eight points in 14 clashes. The campaign was also unsuccessful for Samson. Due to injuries, he played nine out of 14 games and amassed only 285 runs. For comparison, in 2024, the cricketer scored 531 runs. The latest news that the player has asked to consider the possibility of leaving the team is also interesting because specific cricketers are mentioned in potential trade deals.

The reason for the discord 

Insiders believe that one of the main reasons Samson wants to leave RR is his disagreement with management’s personnel decisions. It is reported that he was miserable that the franchise decided to release star player Jos Buttler before the IPL 2025 mega auction. In seven seasons and 83 clashes with the Royals, the English cricketer scored an impressive 3,055 runs.

What’s next 

RR’s lead owner, Manoj Badale, reportedly reached out to all IPL squads to gauge their interest in Samson’s services. He also mentioned the players his team would like to get in return. From the CSK, the names were Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shivam Dube. But Badale was made to understand that these players are untouchable.

Whatever the outcome, RR seems fully prepared to let go of its star player, who is the club’s record holder for runs (4,027 runs from 149 matches).