IPL: Chennai Super Kings targeting Sanju Samson as replacement for Dhoni?

Ever since IPL 2025 ended, there was been huge speculations around possible trades between different franchises. One of the most popular rumours floating around has been about Sanju Samson's possible shift to Chennai Super Kings.

With M.S. Dhoni at the fag end of his IPL career, Samson's addition would be ideal for the five-time champions, to fill the void of an experienced Indian wicket-keeper batter. Additionally, the Kerala batter has also shown impressive leadership skills at RR in recent times, with his calmness under pressure being lauded by the pundits.

In IPL 2025, Samson found himself mostly on the sidelines due to injury and the few games that he did play saw him featuring as an impact player to manage his workload. Meanwhile, Riyan Parag took over as the interim captain of the side, another surprising development given that they had another reasonably experienced India player in Yashasvi Jaiswal. This has subsequently led to the rumour mills working overtime with theories about Jaiswal also reportedly wanting to leave the franchise.

At this point, there is no concrete evidence about either Samson or Jaiswal wanting to leave the Royals franchise. However, the one thing that we do know is that CSK are certainly keen on getting the RR skipper if he is available in the trade window. According to Cricbuzz, a top CSK official has confirmed the interest from the franchise but also added that it is too premature to dwell on this at the moment.

"We are definitely looking at Sanju. He is an Indian batter, who is a keeper and an opener. So, if he is available, we will certainly have a look at the option of having him in our fold. Who we will trade him with, we have not taken that call because the matter has not gone that far. But yes, in principle, we are interested," said the official in a chat with Cricbuzz.

Should Samson make himself available, the dilemma for CSK would be regarding whom to offer as part of the deal. Logically, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Samson are the like-for-like swaps, given that they are both priced at ₹18 crore. However, the Super Kings management had, on multiple occasions, maintained that Gaikwad's leadership appointment was made with a long-term vision in hand. Whether this trade, if it happens, can change that equation is anybody's guess. Apart from CSK, a couple of other teams are also reportedly interested in securing Samson's services.

According to Cricbuzz, the RR management held a review meeting of IPL 2025 in London last week with all major stakeholders, including head coach Rahul Dravid, involved in it. Currently, the Royals management haven't responded to these developments in any capacity.

The trading window for the 2026 season is currently open till a week before the 2026 auctions. Thereafter, the window will reopen the day after the auctions and will remain so till a month before the start of the 2026 season.

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