There are plenty of rumors going on around KL Rahul and Sanju Samson. Both keeper-batters with leadership experiences can be a good replacement for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the champion of IPL 2024, who were rocked in the previous seasons. Despite acquiring some heavy-investment players, their performance was way below the expectation level. Ahead of the new season and the IPL 2026 auction, the franchise can consider rebuilding their squad to find their best performances on the field. Ajinkya Rahane was the captain of KKR for IPL 2025 and individually batted brilliantly, but as a captain, his decisions were under review, and considering his age, Rahane is not looking like a long-term prospect. 

After letting go of Phil Salt, the former champion side bet on Quinton De Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz; both were not able to meet the expectations. So, Kolkata Knight Riders needs a prolific, dependable keeper-batter who can serve the team long and another cricketer who has leadership qualities. KL Rahul and Sanju Samson both fit for these two roles. Between Rahul and Sanju, who will be the best fit for the purple brigade? 

How Sanju Samson become a solid prospect for KKR?

There are possibilities that KKR can release nearly Rs 24 crore for Venkatesh Iyer, and with that money, they can rope in a big fish to improve their squad. Samson's keeping qualities and skills as a batsman are beyond any doubts. Last season, he was the captain of Rajasthan Royals. But as a team, they didn't perform well. Samson, with a 35.62 batting average, was promising as a batsman, but he made a reputation as an injury-prone cricketer. In IPL 2025, he played only 9 matches and missed multiple encounters due to injuries, which definitely influenced the team's combination and overall performance. According to media reports, the Trivandrum-born requested the Rajasthan Royals to let him go.

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"The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR doesn't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back," former cricketer-turned-cricket expert Aakasa Chopra said. 

Why go for KL Rahul?

Over the past few days, there were multiple claims that Kolkata Knight Riders is heavily interested in KL Rahul and they can trade him from Delhi Capitals. After an underwhelming stint with Lucknow Super Giants, the versatile cricketer shifted to Delhi Capitals and took himself to new heights. IPL 2025 witnessed a new version of KL Rahul. After playing 13 IPL 2025 matches, he maintained an average close to 54, which was truly incredible. If we compare the IPL 2025 batting performances of Sanju and Rahul, the Karnataka-born is the better prospect. Rahul also has experience as a captain, though it was not as memorable as his batting. On the other side, Sanju also has not had enough success while leading Rajasthan Royals. 

So, who is the better prospect?

Considering the batting, face value, and long-term prospects, Rahul may be better than Samson.