A high-profile deal between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals is taking shape which will see Ravindra Jadeja and one of Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana heading to Jaipur with Sanju Samson coming to Chepauk. The cricket experts understands that while the deal hasn’t been put to pen yet, the talks are in the final stages and is expected to be completed in the coming days once the second player other than Ravindra Jadeja is confirmed before the retention deadline ends on November 15.
If the deal goes through without any last-minute twist, it would end five-month long speculation over Samson’s future.Since the end of the last IPL season, there have been whispers that Samson is preparing for an exit from Rajasthan Royals.
When the Major League Season was on in the US, Samson even held talks with CSK management who were keen on bringing him to Chepauk as a replacement to MS Dhoni, who is now 44. With Samson coming in, and the retention nearing, it remains to be seen what the former India captain would do. Speaking to The Indian Express recently, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan revealed that the franchise was hopeful that Dhoni would play next season. The arrival of Samson could potentially change that.
While Ravindra Jadeja has been made part of the deal, whether the second player involved is Curran or Pathirana isn’t clear. It is understood that CSK have offered the England all-rounder, but Rajasthan seem to have their eye on Pathirana. But as things stand, CSK are unwilling to let go of the Sri Lankan pacer, whom they have been grooming for long and expect him to play a big role going forward.
With regards to Samson, the talks happened for months and even went cold a month back. With Rajasthan clear that the trade should involve any player in return, Chennai had to step back after an initial round of talks. With Samson being firm in his decision to depart, Rajasthan management explored options with a couple of franchises to see if any player swap is possible. None of it materialised, with Samson also making his intention clear about his interest to don the Yellow jersey.
Ravindra Jadeja -IPL Career -A glimpse
Ravindra Jadeja, who had played for Rajasthan in his first year, when they won the inaugural season, has been part of CSK set up since 2012 and has won three IPL titles in 2018, 2021 and 2023. Ravindra Jadeja is their highest wicket-taker with 143 scalps.
The 36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja was instrumental in bringing home the fifth title, where he scored a boundary and six when CSK needed 10 off the last two deliveries in their final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. It had gained him cult status in Chennai, just a year after a calamitous season as captain. Removed from captaincy mid-way, he had cut all communication with the franchise for months before Dhoni reached out to him via other channels.
With regards to Samson, he has been one of the franchises from the time he joined them in 2013. Like Ravindra Jadeja, he re-joined the franchise in 2018 after the two teams ended a two-year suspension and had been captaining the team since 2021.
Chennai, so far, haven’t done any deal which has involved player swap and had been pressing for an all-cash deal. However, when the talks reopened recently, it was learnt that they had no option but to include one of their players as part of the trade. With Rajasthan needing an Indian spinner, it is understood that they were pushing for Ravindra Jadeja from the start, following which the franchise seems to have brought the all-rounder into the loop.
SK’s top brass– Dhoni, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and head coach Stephen Fleming–had lengthy discussions. It is understood that Dhoni was involved in the discussions with Jadeja to gauge his interest and only after the all-rounder too agreed on a move to Rajasthan that further talks took shape.
While both Samson and Ravindra Jadeja got Rs 18 crore when they were retained by their respective franchises last year, Rajasthan are understood to have pushed for another player. It is understood that Shivam Dube’s name was also floated, but Chennai didn’t entertain it, with Curran thrown in as an alternate option ahead of Pathirana.
It is further understood that CSK were keen on pushing for a cash deal, but are also aware that it could bring the trade to a standstill. CSK’s desperation to bring in Samson, even if it means letting go of one of their own against popular sentiments, stems from Dhoni’s age. Featuring as an uncapped player last season, he played a restricted role with the bat, walking in at No 8 or 9 when they finished last.
India’s cricket festival is all set to return, as the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to start on March 15, 2026. Every team is thinking about which players to retain and which ones to release. Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his thoughts on this topic, especially about the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Aakash Chopra shares his views on the possible swap of Ravindra Jadeja for Sanju Samson from CSK ahead of IPL 2026
Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would need to acquire a spinner at the IPL 2026 auction after Ravichandran Ashwin’s departure. He highlighted that the franchise won’t be able to manage just with Ravindra Jadeja, if the all-rounder is retained, and Noor Ahmad as their two prominent spinners.
CSK will be without Ashwin’s services in IPL 2026 as the veteran off-spinner has retired from the prestigious league. Certain reports suggest that Ravindra Jadeja might be traded to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), with the five-time champions getting Sanju Samson in return. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India opener reckoned that CSK would need to onboard at least one spinner at the IPL 2026 auction.
“They might need a spinner now because Ashwin has left. So you will have to get someone in his place because you will not be able to manage with Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad. You will need more spinners,” he said.
Aakash Chopra added that the Chennai-based franchise might also need to bolster its seam-bowling department.
“Matheesha Pathirana’s stocks have gone slightly down, but Khaleel Ahmed’s have gone up. They have Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis and Mukesh Choudhary as well. So they have bowlers, but you may want to add a bit more to that as well,” he observed.
With 24 scalps at an economy rate of 8.16 in 14 innings, Noor Ahmad was CSK’s highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025. Ravindra Jadeja managed only 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.56 in 14 innings this season.In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Chennai Super Kings would need to acquire a few good batters, especially if Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar and Devon Conway are released.
“With Ruturaj (Gaikwad) returning, opening and captaincy get set. There isn’t much to think about there. However, if you let Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar and Devon Conway go, although you have Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja in the lower-middle order, you still need one, if not two, fairly good batters, in which you need one or two overseas ones as well,” he said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that CSK need to strengthen their overseas batting contingent.
“When I see their overseas recruits, especially in terms of batting, Dewald Brevis, yes, but what about the rest? Only Rachin Ravindra is there, who can play as a proper batter. Then you see bowlers. They have Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton and Sam Curran. None of them is a batter. If you release Devon Conway, you need another batter,” Chopra reasoned.
Aakash Chopra noted that it would be great if the Chennai Super Kings manage to acquire  Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals. To conclude, the analyst highlighted that last season’s bottom-placed team needs a minimum of two, if not three, batters, at least one spinner, and a couple of fast bowlers.
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