3 min readMar 16, 2026 05:59 PM IST
Sanju Samson, who joined Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals last year, recently opened up on the possibility of facing his former franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scheduled to start on March 28. The five-time champions CSK will start their IPL 2026 campaign against RR in Guwahati on March 30, Monday.
“This is the first time I will play against Rajasthan Royals, but I don’t let emotions rule me on the field. I left Rajasthan Royals because I felt my time in the team was over. Even if we come up against them now, I will play my best cricket,” Samson in a video shared by PTI.
Last year, Samson made a landmark switch to the CSK at Rs 18 crore in the biggest-ever trade deal signed by the franchise, while CSK legend Ravindra Jadeja returned to his first IPL franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, with a renewed salary cut from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore. Besides Jadeja, RR have also scooped up England all-rounder Sam Curran for Rs 2.4 crore from CSK as part of the Samson deal.
VIDEO | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: “This is the first time I will play against Rajasthan Royals, but I don’t let emotions rule me on the field. I left Rajasthan Royals because I felt my time in the team was over. Even if we come up against them now, I will play my best cricket,”… pic.twitter.com/yhzyONME20
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 16, 2026
Samson has played 177 IPL matches since his first IPL signing with the Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK will be the fourth franchise of his career. Since making his IPL debut in 2013, the Kerala wicket-keeper has represented RR in all but two seasons—2016 and 2017—when he played for Delhi Capitals.
Chennai Super Kings had a disappointing 2025 season in the Indian Premier League finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in the franchise’s history after managing only four wins across the tournament. However, the five-time champions will be hoping for a turnaround in the upcoming season after undergone a major overhaul in the auction process. The 10-franchise IPL will start just 20 days after the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on March 8.
