Why Sanju Samson Left Rajasthan Royals Ahead Of IPL 2026? Franchise Owner Reveals Reason

Sanju Samson's high-profile trade to the Chennai Super Kings from the Rajasthan Royals, as all the 10 teams announced the lists of their retained and released players ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

While Samson joined the five-time champions CSK, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran became a part of the inaugural champions in a massive swap deal. Jadeja's 13-year-long association with CSK came to an end. The trade, the biggest in the IPL since Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya joined the Mumbai Indians two years ago, marked the end of Samson’s long journey with the 2008 champions Royals.

Notably, the right-handed batter has been with RR since making his IPL debut in 2013, barring a couple of seasons with Delhi Capitals at a time when RR had been handed a two-year suspension along with CSK on corruption charges.

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In a video shared by the RR on their YouTube channel, franchise owner Manoj Badale revealed that Samson had been feeling emotionally drained and expressed his desire to leave the franchise after their narrow loss in their away clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders last season.

"The first time this year—or in the past year—that Sanju talked about moving on was probably in Kolkata towards the end of the season. We had a meeting after the game. He’s a very honest guy. He was personally and emotionally drained. He cares a huge amount about RR, and I think having our worst season in 18 years took a lot out of him. Having given the best part of 14 years, with a short break, to RR, he felt he needed a new chapter to refresh the end of his IPL journey," Badale said in the video.

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Badale went on to reveal that Samson's appointment as captain in 2021 was a high-risk move. Under Samson, RR had reached the final of the 15th season in 2022, the first time they had reached that stage since the inaugural season in 2008, before losing to IPL debutants Gujarat Titans in the final.

"When Sanju made the request, it felt different for us because he’s a very authentic man; if he says something, he generally means it. He has been an extraordinary servant of the franchise for 14 years. It’s not just the batting or the sixes the fans see—it’s everything else he has put in.

"When we made the decision to make him captain, that was a high-risk move. He was a young and inexperienced captain, but he put everything into that role. There has been a lot of emotion from our fans and from the team that has grown up under Sanju. I feel emotional about it myself," he added.