The rumors of Sanju Samson's trade to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have garnered considerable attention from fans and players over the past week.
However, to make the CSK move happen, RR has also asked the Chennai outfit for the services of Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube in return. This trade seems unfeasible for the five-time champions, who are still in transition after finishing 10th in 2025.
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CSK star Ravichandran Ashwin has also weighed in on the matter, explaining why he believes a trade deal for Samson between the teams is highly unlikely.
Why is Samson to CSK unlikely to happen?
Speaking on his YouTube channel (Ashwin), he explained the deal's complexity between the two sides. Despite finishing 9th on the table last season, RR currently boasts a lot of young talent, with some improvements needed in the bowling department.
According to him, RR would have no gain from the trade, as they would be left wondering what to do with the remaining purse, considering not too many high-quality players will be available in the market after last year's mega auction.
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"Why the CSK-RR trade won’t work is because if Sanju is traded to CSK, and RR then try to trade with other teams, they’re unlikely to get valuable players in return. For example, suppose RR want a spinner like Ravi Bishnoi and approach LSG. In that case, the problem is that if LSG acquire Sanju and give away Bishnoi, they also have to manage the remaining purse required to retain Sanju, which becomes LSG’s responsibility," said Ashwin.
"CSK generally don’t believe in trading. They aren’t going to trade players like Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. So, in all likelihood, Sanju coming to CSK is bleak, for the reasons I’ve explained. RR don’t have much to gain from this kind of trade," he added.
Why Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja might not be traded?
In the 2025 edition of the IPL, both Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja were among the top two run-getters with 357 and 301 runs, respectively. Jadeja also took 10 wickets and was their fourth-highest wicket-taker.
Additionally, CSK has always had a reputation of backing their experienced talent, and with the team trying to find solutions after a poor season, it is unlikely that they will let go of their best performers from last season.
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From Ashwin's perspective, Samson is likely to wear RR's pink jersey for a couple of more seasons before he eventually makes himself available for the next mega auction.
In his time at RR, Samson has scored 4219 runs in 155 matches at a strike rate of 140.53 and an average of 31.96, while also captaining them to the final of the IPL 2022 season.
Ahead of IPL 2026, he is their highest run-scorer in IPL history, with the next best active player, Yashasvi Jaiswal, sitting at 2166 runs in 67 matches.