IPL 2026 | Sanju Samson reveals why he left Rajasthan Royals for Chennai Super Kings: ‘I went forward because…’

After spending several years at Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sanju Samson will be seen donning the iconic yellow jersey of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals had traded the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to Chennai Super Kings in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.

Sanju Samson has played for Rajasthan Royals in every IPL season since joining the franchise in 2013, barring 2016 and 2017 when the franchise was banned from the IPL. He went on to become a reliable captain at Rajasthan Royals and led them to the IPL final in 2022, where they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT).

Ahead of IPL 2026, the 31-year-old opened up on his exit from Rajasthan Royals. He said that he left the inaugural champions because he felt that his time was over. He also vowed to play well whenever Chennai Super Kings face Rajasthan Royals.

"The game will definitely dictate it. But even before the match and even after the match, when I play with the old team, there are a lot of players who we played with when we were young. There are a lot of management and support staff. Everyone is there," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

"They definitely have love and respect. But as I said earlier, everyone has their own time. My time was with RR. I went forward because I thought it was over. So when I go forward, there is a bit of excitement. It’s a new journey. Even if I play against RR, I want to play with a lot of happiness," he added.

Samson, who has played 11 seasons with Rajasthan Royals, is excited to be playing for CSK. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side's first match of IPL 2026, in fact, is against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on 30 March.

The right-handed batter briefly recalled his conversations with MS Dhoni, and also spoke on the warm reception he received at Chepauk when India faced Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super 8s. "I am really excited to be part of CSK.

“I had spoken to Dhoni over the phone and had shared the dressing room with him when I was in the Indian team. I always had positive vibes after interaction with Dhoni bhai. This will be different as I will be spending close to two months with Dhoni in CSK, and I am eagerly looking forward to it. It will be a great opportunity for me to observe him from close quarters and learn from him,” he said.

"I was surprised by the support I got from the Chennai crowd during the World Cup. I think I am lucky. Maybe they see me as one of them. I don’t want to disappoint them in the IPL and will give my best for CSK," added Samson, who amassed 321 runs from five innings in India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign.

To date, Samson has played 177 IPL matches overall and has scored 4704 runs, with 26 fifties and three centuries to his name.

Samson is also the top all-time run-getter for RR with 4219 runs from 155 matches at a strike-rate of 140.53.