Former India and CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath feels Riyan Parag’s presence in the Rajasthan Royals squad could be the reason behind Sanju Samson reportedly asking the franchise to release him. The 44-year-old questioned why Sanju Samson would stay if Parag was one of the contenders to take over as RR captain.
Riyan Parag led RR in the first three matches of IPL 2025. He was given the reins again later in the season when Samson sustained an abdominal injury.
S Badrinath gives his views on Sanju Samson situation referring to Riyan ParagÂ
Speaking on his You Tube channel, Badrinath said: “I feel Riyan Parag is the reason. If you consider him for captaincy, how do you expect someone like Samson to stay?”
Badrinath also questioned the batting number for Samson if he were to indeed join CSK. Badrinath feels the likes of Ayush Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top and Dewald Brevis in the middle could create an issue. He added: “If Sanju Samson does come to CSK, then he could be the like-for-like replacement for MS Dhoni. Samson is a batter who can bat in top three or four spots in the batting order. He is not someone who could fit in the number five or six spot in the playing XI. CSK are strong in those areas of the playing XI. Mhatre is settled, Gaikwad is settled, Brevis is settled.”
“I am not sure if CSK would go for a transaction like MI did to get Hardik Pandya from GT. So, even if Sanju Samson comes in, the question remains whether CSK can fit him into the playing XI,” he added.
Sanju Samson has been linked with a move to CSK ahead of IPL 2026 as per recent reports.
Badrinath gives his views on CSK captaincy if Sanju Samson joins them
Subramaniam Badrinath also wondered what may go through Ruturaj Gaikwad’s mind if Chennai Super Kings were to bring Sanju Samson into their fold. The former right-hander feels that the five-time champions are still unsure about whether to bring Samson into their squad or not. Speaking on the same video, the former CSK batter said:
“The other aspect to consider is captaincy. Whether MS Dhoni leads or not, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain. He’s led only for one season. If you give the captaincy to Samson, how would Gaikwad feel about that? That is something we need to consider. I think keeping all these things in mind, CSK are still thinking of whether or not to go ahead.”
Reports had emerged that Sanju Samson had formally made a request to RR to either trade him or release him from the franchise into the auction ahead of the mini-auction. He features in 9 out of 14 league matches in IPL 2025.
It remains to be seen how this Sanju Samson story pans out from here. He could get trade to CSK with possibly Ashwin going to RR. Because, there are reports that Ravichandran Ashwin also wants to leave CSK. Could we had a trade and swap like that. Only time will tell that. Samson could be the ideal replacement for MS Dhoni.
But he is a top order batter preferably opening the batting, and CSK have openers like Mhatre, Gaikwad and even Conway, Ravindra locked in unless the franchise releases the Kiwi duo into the auction. But Mhatre and Gaikwad are there and Brevis plays as finisher. Sanju batting down the order may not be great for him or for CSK. So, yes, CSK could well be unsure of bring Samson for all we know.
This is a developing story and we must wait and see how things unfold in the coming days/weeks/months.
Also Read:Â IPL 2026: KKR Axe Chandrakant Pandit