"Can Sanju Samson go towards CSK?" - Aakash Chopra on potential trade ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Sanju Samson is unlikely to stay with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for IPL 2026. He wondered whether Samson could move to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), highlighting that the five-time champions can easily release the ₹18 crore required to acquire he wicketkeeper-batter

Samson has reportedly asked the Royals to release him before the IPL 2026 auction. Certain reports suggested that CSK expressed interest in acquiring him, although there has been no official confirmation about the potential move.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Delhi Capitals (DC), apart from CSK, can potentially acquire Samson in an all-cash deal.

"It seems like Sanju won't stay there. However, if you are leaving a ₹18 crore player, you need an equally good quality player. If Rajasthan want to release Sanju, which team can give someone in return? KKR will be extremely interested in an all-cash deal. Delhi won't mind, although you also have to release ₹18 crore for Sanju to come into your side," Chopra said (2:10).

"KKR won't have that problem, because if they release Venkatesh Iyer, ₹18 crore will be released in a jiffy, and you can do an all-cash deal. However, other teams cannot do that so easily. Can Sanju Samson go towards CSK? There is a way to release money there as well. ₹18 crore can be released in a jiffy, but I don't know if that conversation is happening or not," he added.

The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings would potentially be interested in acquiring an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. While KKR don't have a prominent Indian keeper in their squad, CSK might be looking for a long-term replacement for MS Dhoni.

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"There will still be a deficit of ₹8 crore" - Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson and Tristan Stubbs' potential trade ahead of IPL 2026 auction

RR retained Sanju Samson for ₹18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Sanju Samson could be swapped with Tristan Stubbs, but highlighted that the Delhi Capitals would have to release an additional ₹8 crore in such a scenario.

"A slightly strong news that came in was that Sanju is going to Delhi and Tristan Stubbs is going from Delhi to Rajasthan. There will still be a deficit of ₹8 crore because Tristan is for ₹10 crore and Sanju is for ₹18 crore. However, will that happen?" he said (3:25).

While acknowledging that the Capitals would be happy to get Samson, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that they cannot release Stubbs.

"Delhi won't mind if Sanju Samson comes on their side because Sanju plays well on this ground. They can release Jake-Fraser McGurk if they get Sanju. Sanju will keep and open, and KL Rahul might open with him, but they cannot leave Tristan Stubbs," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra questioned who would bat in the lower-middle order if the Delhi Capitals release Tristan Stubbs. On the flip side, the analyst reckoned that Stubbs would be a fantastic value addition for the Rajasthan Royals as the franchise has many top-order batters and needs a lower-middle player to potentially replace Shimron Hetmyer, who was found wanting in IPL 2025.