Sanju Samson earns four times more than MS Dhoni in IPL, here’s a look at RR skipper’s paycheck

New Delhi: Sanju Samson leaving Rajasthan Royals (RR) to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might be a possibility in time before the IPL 2026. People have been talking about Samson leaving RR and it may be true. According to a recent report CSK is very much eager to have him. There are other franchises as well, besides CSK, which are interested in buying the current RR captain as reportedly. But there is no clarification as to whether Samson himself is contemplating on quitting the franchise.

Rajasthan Royals nurtured Samson themselves and found the player in 2013. They gave him his initial IPL contract and as they say, the rest became history. His stupendous performances with RR quickly helped him into his subsequent call-up by India on the England tour to play the white-ball series the other year. He later got his international debut versus Zimbabwe in 2015.

Rajasthan Royals bought Sanju Samson back in IPL 2018 mega-auction, and he has since then been an important member of the team. Before the IPL 2025 mega-auction, RR retained Samson to secure the services of the star batter and captain at the hefty price of Rs 18 crore.

If Chennai Super Kings (CSK) intend to sign Sanju Samson, they will need to spend at least ₹18 crore or more to secure his services. Should the move happen, Samson is likely to be groomed as the long-term successor to MS Dhoni at the helm of the franchise.

Samson earns four times more than Dhoni

Sanju Samson now earns four times in the IPL compared to MS Dhoni. Dhoni has not participated in international cricket in more than five years and therefore he has been added to the category of uncapped players before the IPL 2025 mega-auction. This enabled Chennai Super Kings to have their iconic captain back at only Rs4 crores under uncapped player category.

The IPL 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons paid the salary of 12 crores to MS Dhoni. But before IPL 2025, the India icon was ready to be retained at a price of only 4 crores. As Dhoni may play in only one or two more seasons of IPL, it seems that CSK have already started thinking about future, including a prospective long-term replacement, with Sanju Samson rising among candidates.

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