Sanju Samson is leaving Rajasthan Royals after 11 long seasons. The talented keeper-batsman badly wants out of his current team. He asked RR management to either trade him or release him. Reports say the Delhi Capitals will become Sanju Samson IPL 2026 team soon.
The trade talks between DC and RR are almost done now. Sanju Samson has scored over 4,000 runs for the Rajasthan Royals overall. But his relationship with the franchise management broke down completely.
Why Samson Wants to Leave Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson felt sad with RR’s choice to release Jos Buttler. The English captain’s exit upset him more than anything else. He disagreed with how the squad handled several important matters. Samson captained RR to the IPL 2022 finals but couldn’t win.
“Letting him (Buttler) go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me. During the England series, I told him over dinner that I was still not over it. If I could change one thing in the IPL, I would change the rule of releasing players every three years,” Samson once said.
Since then, RR hasn’t reached similar heights again. Management differences pushed Sanju toward finally requesting a trade. He remains RR’s highest run-scorer with 149 matches played for them. But sometimes even great records can’t fix broken relationships.
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Delhi Capitals Emerges as Sanju Samson IPL 2026 Team
DC showed serious interest in bringing Sanju to their squad. DC will be likely get him through trade. Tristan Stubbs might move to RR as part of this deal.
Initially, DC didn’t want to give up key players for him. But now they’re ready to make the Sanju trade happen. KL Rahul’s name came up during negotiations between both teams. DC refused to trade Rahul because of his performance and brand value.
RR also tried getting Ravindra Jadeja or Ruturaj Gaikwad from CSK earlier. CSK said no to both requests straightaway without thinking twice.
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Sanju Samson Which Team in IPL 2026
The IPL squad announcements will confirm Samson’s destination officially soon. DC gets a quality keeper-batsman who can captain if needed. Sanju brings leadership experience and consistent batting to any squad. His move could reshape DC’s entire squad strategy going forward massively.
