With just a week remaining before the IPL 2026 retention, talks of a trade deal for Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are rife.
After five months of rumors, it appears Sanju Samson’s departure from Rajasthan is complete.
According to a report, CSK is bringing Sanju to Chepauk soon, where he is set to replace MS Dhoni.
The deal, which will be finalized before November 15th, will see RR receive Jadeja along with one of Sam Curran or Mathisha Pathirana.
The second player has not yet been confirmed, but Sanju’s arrival raises questions about Dhoni’s future. This season could be the last for the 44-year-old Dhoni.
Dhoni’s sacrifice for Jadeja: Future planning
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif believes Dhoni wouldn’t hesitate to drop his old friend Jadeja from the team if it was for the good of CSK.
Kaif said, “For Dhoni, making the team win is the biggest goal. If he is coming to play again, he will be thinking CSK finished 10th in the standings last year.
He is a man of pride; hence, his biggest goal will be to make the team win another trophy. A team cannot win the trophy based on one player.”
Kaif made this comment on his YouTube channel. He also added that Jadeja won’t be missed as much in the bowling department, as spinners like Noor Ahmed will be effective in the middle overs.
Kaif further said, “If Jadeja has to be sacrificed for the team’s good, Dhoni will do it. People say how Dhoni operates based on friendships and does it, giving him a couple of extra chances.
But it doesn’t mean his focus shifts away from winning. The goal is to make CSK a champion. That’s why he will let Jadeja go if it has to be done. If Dhoni feels he can find a better option for the team, he will make the decision.”
Sanju’s connection with Dhoni and batting style
Kaif believes that if Sanju joins CSK, he will have had many phone conversations with Dhoni.
He said, “If Samson is likely to join CSK, there would be a lot of calls. Sanju must have called on the phone. Behind the scenes, there are a lot of phone calls. Sanju might have spoken to CSK, maybe Dhoni, ‘Bhai kya lagta hai.’
See, Dhoni runs the team, and if CSK wants Sanju this time, then he is also the future captain. It also means that this is Dhoni’s last year. Why would they want Sanju? Jadeja has been playing for them for a long time (since 2012).”
Kaif praised Sanju’s batting, “The style of batting Sanju Samson has, he is more likely to succeed with the bat in Chennai than Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul. He might come at No. 3 or 4, and he can hit sixes in the middle overs.”
This trade will give new strength to CSK, especially with an aggressive batsman like Sanju on the Chennai pitch.
