With less than a week to go for the IPL 2026 player retentions, the Sanju Samson situation took a fresh turn with the trade talks rekindling between the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings.
After five months of speculation, it appears Sanju Samson’s exit from Rajasthan Royals (RR) is imminent. CSK is finalising a trade that would bring Samson to Chepauk, where he was reportedly eyed by management as a potential replacement for MS Dhoni. The deal, which is expected to conclude before the November 15 retention deadline, will see RR acquire Ravindra Jadeja and one of Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana. This high-stakes transfer is now pending confirmation of the second player involved, and Samson’s arrival could force a decision regarding the 44-year-old Dhoni’s future with CSK.
Former India batter Mohammed Kaif feels Dhoni will not be averse to leaving his long-time teammate Jadeja out of the CSK combination, keeping the future of the franchise in mind. Kaif also said that CSK would not feel the effects of losing Jadeja as much with the ball, as they have a prime spin enforcer in Noor Ahmad for the middle overs.
“For Dhoni, making the team win is the biggest goal. If he is coming to play again, he will be thinking CSK finished 10th in the standings last year. He is a man of pride; hence, his biggest goal will be to make the team win another trophy. A team cannot win the trophy based on one player,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“If Jadeja has to be sacrificed for the team’s good, Dhoni will do it. People say how Dhoni operates based on friendships and does it, giving them a couple of extra chances. But it doesn’t mean his focus goes away from winning. The goal is to make CSK a champion. That’s why he will let go of Jadeja if it has to be done. If Dhoni feels he can get a better option for the team, he will take the decision,” remarked Kaif.
