Aakash Chopra names the IPL team most desperate for Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson’s IPL future reportedly looks uncertain as reports have emerged that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper has expressed his desire to leave the franchise. 

Speculations of him joining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have also surfaced, especially after Samson met CSK head coach Stephen Fleming during the MLC season in the US. However, former Team India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that more than CSK, there is another IPL franchise that might be more eager to get the RR skipper.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR don't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what's wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well.”

Interestingly, Samson began his IPL career with KKR way back in 2012 but did not get a game. Since the 2013 season, he has been an integral part of RR. Chopra further explained why KKR must be desperate to get Samson, linking it to the current KKR skipper, Ajinkya Rahane.

“Ajinkya Rahane as a batter – either he opens or else the batting order has been a bit of a problem,” Chopra added. “They have a player they can release as well. If they wish, they can release Venkatesh Iyer, free up nearly Rs 24 crore, and then they can actually make a difference.”

Speaking about the possible reason behind Sanju Samson’s desire to leave RR, Chopra suggested that it might be because RR did not consider his inputs regarding retained or released players during the mega auction before IPL 2025.

“Why would Sanju Samson want to leave? It's interesting because when the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go, and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick,” Chopra noted. “I felt there would have been a massive input from Sanju in the players they retained or released. However, now it seems it might not have been there. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave. If he is thinking like that, it's possible. These are conjectures. I don't know what's in his and Rajasthan's minds.”

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