3 Ex-Rajasthan Royals Captains Who Later Played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL

Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who joined Chennai Super Kings in a trade deal from Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, November 15, will not captain the Chennai-based franchise in IPL 2026. The five-time champions posted on X on Saturday evening, after the retentions were announced, to confirm that 28-year-old Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the captain for the upcoming season.

But if we look at history, Sanju is not the only one. Two more players once captained the Rajasthan Royals and later played for the Yellow Army. This article shares all the details about this.

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Shane Watson: The First RR Captain to Play for CSK

Shane Watson was the first Rajasthan Royals captain to play for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He joined the Chennai team in the IPL 2018 mega auction and played 43 matches for them from 2018 to 2020. In those 43 matches, Watson scored 1252 runs and took six wickets for CSK.

Watson was part of RR from 2008 to 2019. He played 78 matches for them, scored 2372 runs, and dismissed 61 batters. (Picture Credit: AFP)

He led RR in 21 IPL matches but managed to win only seven.

Ajinkya Rahane: Another RR Captain to Join CSK

Ajinkya Rahane captained the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018 and 2019. Under his leadership, RR played 24 matches and won only nine.

Rahane played 100 IPL matches for RR and scored 2810 runs. He is the second-highest run-scorer in RR’s IPL history. He joined CSK in the IPL 2023 auction and played 27 matches across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In those games, he scored a total of 568 runs.