Rajasthan Royals in Advanced Talks With KKR Over Sanju Samson, Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep Named as Possible Trade Options

The Sanju Samson trade story has taken a new twist. According to a report in Anandabazar Patrika, Rajasthan Royals (RR) are now in advanced talks to trade their captain to another franchise. Earlier, he was strongly linked with Chennai Super Kings, but those talks are said to have fallen through.

Instead, Rajasthan Royals are now believed to be in final talks with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The report also says Sanju Samson has officially asked to leave RR because of ‘serious differences’ with the team management. RR had kept him for ₹18 crore before the 2025 mega-auction, but it seems Samson no longer wants to stay with them.

This is why Rajasthan Royals have been looking at trade options for their star wicketkeeper-batter, and they are now said to be close to a deal with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Sources suggest RR has already shared a list of players they want in return for Samson, and the trade could be finalized soon. However, the report makes it clear that KKR’s key spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, are not part of the discussions and will remain with the team.

KKR Enter Final-Stage Negotiations

As per the same report, KKR could offer either young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi or hard-hitting all-rounder Ramandeep Singh in exchange for Sanju Samson. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, are keen on boosting their middle order for the next IPL season. If both sides cannot settle on a player swap, the deal might turn into an all-cash move. Both teams had a rough outing in IPL 2025, RR finished ninth with just four wins from 14 games struggling in both batting and bowling, though 14-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi was a rare positive. KKR, led by Ajinkya Rahane, didn’t fare much better either ending in eighth place with five wins.

Bringing in Sanju Samson could be a big move for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who are in urgent need of an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and a possible captain. The franchise is also said to be in talks with Kumar Sangakkara for the head coach role after parting ways with Chandrakant Pandit. Earlier, there were strong rumors linking Samson with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but the five-time champions were not ready to give up key players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, or Shivam Dube. CSK has rarely traded players with other teams, and it seems that policy has continued in this case too.

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