Sanju Samson, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals, has informed the franchise of his wish to be freed ahead of the next IPL 2026 auction. According to ESPNcricinfo, Samson disclosed this intention to the RR management immediately after IPL 2025 concluded. Though Samson still has the chance to persuade him to remain with the team, the Rajasthan Royals have not given him a definitive answer following their June season review meetings.
Approached for comments on this occurrence, Manoj Badale, the main owner of the franchise, declined to make any remarks. He will make the final choice in cooperation with Rahul Dravid, the head coach of RR. If the Rajasthan Royals decide to let Samson go, they could either auction him or swap him to another team. The IPL contract clauses provide that the franchise has the ultimate power in such cases. Regarding a possible trade, it might entail either a player swap or a cash-only deal.
From IPL 2013 to 2015, Samson, 30 years old, first played for the Rajasthan Royals for three seasons before rejoining the team in 2018 after two years with the Delhi Daredevils. Named captain in 2021, he led the RR to the IPL final for the first time since their triumph in the first season back in 2008.
With his retention price fixed at INR 18 crore at IPL 2026 auction, Samson was one of the six players kept by the Rajasthan Royals before the mega auction last year. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played for Ranji Trophy for Mumbai, Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Sandeep Sharma (who ruled out of IPL 2025 after fractured finger), and Shimron Hetmyer were among the other retained players. Regrettably, Samson’s side strain limited him to only nine of RR’s 14 IPL 2025 games; Riyan Parag served as skipper. With only four victories, the team came in ninth place.
Samson is now at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, taking part in a regular training regimen meant for a select group of players nominated by the national selectors, ESPNcricinfo reports.