Samson's Rajasthan Royals exit linked to Vaibhav Suryavanshi's meteoric rise: 'If Sanju is thinking like that...'

All is not well within the Rajasthan Royals setup. It has already been reported that the Royals' skipper, Sanju Samson, wants to leave the franchise and has informed the management about his decision, asking them to release or trade him. Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra believes Samson's decision might have been influenced by the meteoric rise of Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. It is being reported that Sanju Samson wants to leave the Rajasthan Royals.(PTI)

Samson missed a few matches in the latest edition of the tournament, paving the way for the 14-year-old to make his debut. The southpaw set the stage on fire, smashing the fastest century by an Indian in the competition, completing a ton off just 35 balls against the Gujarat Titans.

The left-handed batter impressed everyone with his big-hitting exploits, and hence, Chopra believes Samson considered leaving the franchise. Chopra said that Sanju knows that the opening slots will be taken up by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryavanshi, and hence, his own future will be under the scanner.

"Why would Sanju Samson want to leave? It's interesting because when the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go, and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Also Read: Sanju Samson reacts to whether he's joining CSK in IPL 2026 after wanting release from RR as Ashwin 'trades himself'

"I felt there would have been a massive input from Sanju in the players they retained or released. However, now it seems it might not have been there. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave.

KKR right place for Samson

Samson has long been rumoured to be making the switch to MS Dhoni's side, the Chennai Super Kings. However, Chopra believes KKR would be the ideal destination for the wicketkeeper-batter.

“The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR don't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what's wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well,” said Chopra.

Rajasthan Royals were led by Riyan Parag in Samson's absence, and for the entirety of the campaign, there were rumours of a rift between the right-handed batter and head coach Rahul Dravid.

However, before the start of one game, Dravid quashed all rumours, saying everything is fine within the camp and setup.

Click here to read article