Sanju Samson most likely to leave Rajasthan Royals: Reports

According to various reports, Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson is most likely to leave the franchise ahead of the retention deadline, set on November 15 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

Notably, Samson has been part of the RR franchise for a total of 11 seasons and has requested them to either trade or release him ahead of the mini-auction, which is scheduled to take place mid-December in Mumbai or Delhi.

Also, a Cricbuzz report revealed that Samson had differences with the franchise after they released the former England captain Jos Buttler ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, which didn’t go down well with the RR skipper.

"As previously reported here, Samson has made a formal request to the Royals management stating that he is seeking a new direction. There have apparently been many issues of differences between RR and Samson, one of which was the management's decision to release Jos Buttler," the report stated. 

Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, Samson had commented on the think tank team’s decision not to retain Buttler, who has been with the franchise for seven seasons. Unfortunately, RR had to let Buttler go ahead of the retentions deadline.

"Letting him go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me. During the England series, I told him over dinner that I was still not over it. If I could change one thing in the IPL, I would change the rule of releasing players every three years," Samson had told Star Sports before the last IPL season.

A report also mentioned that two franchises in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have reportedly shown their interest in a possible trade for Samson. However, it is highly unlikely to see CSK roping him in. 

"With the letters sent directly to franchise owners, details have largely stayed under wraps. However, it is learnt that a potential trade with the Chennai Super Kings - widely speculated in recent days - could be a long shot, as the Royals are believed to have asked for either Ravindra Jadeja or Ruturaj Gaikwad, both deal-breaking terms that the Super Kings are not ready to entertain," the report added.

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