Sanju Samson, who has been traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, shared a heartfelt note for his former franchise after ending a 10-year stint with the Jaipur-based side.
With 177 IPL matches to his name, Samson is one of the league's most experienced players. Since his IPL debut in 2013, the senior player has primarily played for RR, apart from two seasons, 2016 and 2017, when he played for the Delhi Capitals.
This will be his third franchise of his career. “We are only here for a short period of time. Gave my everything to this franchise, enjoyed some great cricket, made some lifetime relations, treated everyone in the franchise as my family.. And when it's time..I am moving on.. Shall always be grateful for everything @rajasthanroyals,” Samson wrote in an Instagram post.
CSK, meanwhile, traded their senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to the Royals along with England’s Sam Curran, as the duo will now be seen donning the pink jersey. Jadeja has predominantly represented CSK in his IPL career, but he is now set to play for the franchise where he began his league career- the Royals.
Samson, who has now finished his stint with the Royals, shared that his dream was to be close to Dhoni, converse with him, and learn about his approach to the game. "As every young Indian cricketer, I wanted to be around MS Dhoni.
Every single time you meet him, every single time you know that you're going to play against CSK, it's like you want to sit with Mahi bhai, talk to him, understand how he does things. Even just sitting around him was a dream as a young cricketer," Samson said in a video posted by Star Sports on X.
"When I came to play the IPL, after the match, I thought of meeting him. But several people were already there to meet him. I went and met him in the 8th year of my IPL. I waited to help my side win a match against the CSK.
I made some runs and won the POTM. After that, I went and met him. After that, my relationship has been going upwards. It has been a very blessed feeling. I have done shoots with him. It feels like a dream," he added.