Sanju Samson’s 12-year-long association with the Rajasthan Royals came to an end on Saturday, with the 31-year-old being unveiled in a huge trade deal with the Chennai Super Kings. Despite it being official only on the IPL 2026 Retention deadline day, Samson’s exit was thick among the murmurs since the end of the IPL 2025 season, where he had limited playing time due to injuries.
In a video posted by the Rajasthan Royals, team owner Manoj Badale explained how the Samson saga unfolded and praised the genuineness of the Kerala star in expressing his request to leave the franchise. Badale said that Samson was emotionally drained after having led the bid of the inaugural champions as captain and even coming close to the title in the IPL 2022 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, and he was personally, 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,” Badale said.
“I think he just felt that, having given the best part of 14 (12) years with a break to RR, he wanted just a new chapter to refresh the end of his journey with the IPL. In the case of Sanju, when he made the request, I think it felt different for us. He’s a very authentic man, and if he says something, he generally means it. He’s been an extraordinary servant of the franchise for 12 years. It’s not just the batting that the fans see or the sixes that the fans see; it’s everything else he’s put into it.”
Taking to social media after his Rs 18 crore-worth move to CSK, Samson reflected on his time with Rajasthan, stating he gave the franchise his all but felt it was the right “time” to move on.
“We are only here for a short period of time,” he wrote on Instagram. “Gave MY everything to this franchise, enjoyed some great cricket, made some lifetime relations, treated everyone in the franchise as my family..And when its time..I AM moving On..Shall always be grateful for everything @rajasthanroyals.”
Badale also quashed rumours of instability within the franchise since the end of the previous season following the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach after only one season.
“While there’s been a sort of media narrative of Rajasthan Royals are in chaos, people leaving, Rahul leaving, the reality is that’s not how it’s felt internally. Internally, we committed to a process and a timeline. We’re maybe one week later than we hope to be, or maybe two weeks later, but it all feels very calm here.”
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