These 2 IPL teams can target Sanju Samson for IPL 2026

Over the days, Sanju Samson has become the talk of the town. Media reports claimed the star stumper expressed his desire to leave Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026. He requested the Rajasthan-based franchise to allow him to make a change.

Now, the entire decision depends on the management. They have a couple of options—either trade Sanju Samson or release him. If they decided to release the keeper-batter, then Samson would have to wait for the next IPL auction. Multiple IPL franchises may want Samson on their squad, but his next possible destination can depend on multiple factors; one of those factors will definitely be the money factor.

Signing Samson can be a multiple crore rupee deal. So, franchises, which have a fat purse, can only dream about Sanju in their colors. Another factor can be the team combination, as the experienced cricketer can add value with their captaincy skills. Teams, who need a fresh face in their leadership department, can try their best to rope in the 30-year-old. Based on the previous IPL season (IPL 2025), there are a couple of teams who might desire to get Sanju in the squad.

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2 possible teams that can try to cash in for Sampson:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK): CSK is obviously an appropriate option that can target the keeper-batter. As their icon MS Dhoni is in his career’s final chapter, the franchise will look for a highly talented keeper and a crowd-pulling face to maintain their brand value. Samson can be the person who can keep it brilliant and can help the franchise to maintain their market value. Dhoni recently hinted that Ruturaj Gaikwad is all set to be back as their regular skipper for IPL 2026. With Gaikwad, Sanju can make a great bond to increase leadership qualities off the field.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): After a successful Indian Premier League campaign in 2024 (IPL 2024), the multi-time champion side faced a terrible season in the previous edition. Ajinkya Rahane was their captain for IPL 2024, but he is not looking like a long-term investment for the franchise. Apart from captaincy, the team from Kolkata also faces difficulties in their keeping-batting department. Neither Quinton De Kock nor Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked sharp enough to maintain their position in the playing combination.