Sanju Samson could move to CSK in a swap deal involving Ravindra Jadeja and one other player

Sanju Samson could move to CSK in a swap deal involving Ravindra Jadeja and one other player

A high-profile deal between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals is taking shape which will see Ravindra Jadeja and one of Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana heading to Jaipur with Sanju Samson coming to Chepauk. The Indian Express understands that while the deal hasn’t been put to pen yet, the talks are in the final stages and is expected to be completed in the coming days once the second player other than Jadeja is confirmed before the retention deadline ends on November 15. If the deal goes through without any last-minute twist, it would end five-month long speculation over Samson’s future.

Since the end of the last IPL season, there have been whispers that Samson is preparing for an exit from Rajasthan Royals. When the Major League Season was on in the US, Samson even held talks with CSK management who were keen on bringing him to Chepauk as a replacement to MS Dhoni, who is now 44. With Samson coming in, and the retention nearing, it remains to be seen what the former India captain would do. Speaking to The Indian Express recently, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan revealed that the franchise was hopeful that Dhoni would play next season. The arrival of Samson could potentially change that.

While Jadeja has been made part of the deal, whether the second player involved is Curran or Pathirana isn’t clear. It is understood that CSK have offered the England all-rounder, but Rajasthan seem to have their eye on Pathirana. But as things stand, CSK are unwilling to let go of the Sri Lankan pacer, whom they have been grooming for long and expect him to play a big role going forward.

With regards to Samson, the talks happened for months and even went cold a month back. With Rajasthan clear that the trade should involve any player in return, Chennai had to step back after an initial round of talks. With Samson being firm in his decision to depart, Rajasthan management explored options with a couple of franchises to see if any player swap is possible. None of it materialised, with Samson also making his intention clear about his interest to don the Yellow jersey.

Chennai, so far, haven’t done any deal which has involved player swap and had been pressing for an all-cash deal. However, when the talks reopened recently, it was learnt that they had no option but to include one of their players as part of the trade. With Rajasthan needing an Indian spinner, it is understood that they were pushing for Jadeja from the start, following which the franchise seems to have brought the all-rounder into the loop.

The Indian Express understands that before taking forward the discussions, CSK’s top brass– Dhoni, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and head coach Stephen Fleming–had lengthy discussions. It is understood that Dhoni was involved in the discussions with Jadeja to gauge his interest and only after the all-rounder too agreed on a move to Rajasthan that further talks took shape. While both Samson and Jadeja got Rs 18 crore when they were retained by their respective franchises last year, Rajasthan are understood to have pushed for another player. It is understood that ShivamDube’s name was also floated, but Chennai didn’t entertain it, with Curran thrown in as an alternate option ahead of Pathirana.

It is further understood that CSK were keen on pushing for a cash deal, but are also aware that it could bring the trade to a standstill. CSK’s desperation to bring in Samson, even if it means letting go of one of their own against popular sentiments, stems from Dhoni’s age. Featuring as an uncapped player last season, he played a restricted role with the bat, walking in at No 8 or 9 when they finished last.

Jadeja, who had played for Rajasthan in his first year, when they won the inaugural season, has been part of CSK set up since 2012 and has won three IPL titles in 2018, 2021 and 2023. He is their highest wicket-taker with 143 scalps. The 36-year-old was instrumental in bringing home the fifth title, where he scored a boundary and six when CSK needed 10 off the last two deliveries in their final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. It had gained him cult status in Chennai, just a year after a calamitous season as captain. Removed from captaincy mid-way, he had cut all communication with the franchise for months before Dhoni reached out to him via other channels.

With regards to Samson, he has been one of the franchises from the time he joined them in 2013. Like Jadeja, he re-joined the franchise in 2018 after the two teams ended a two-year suspension and had been captaining the team since 2021.