Mumbai: Contrary to a lot of buzz, India’s T20 wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson is not leaving Rajasthan Royals for any new franchise ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), TOI can confirm.Since the end of IPL 2025, there has been plenty of speculation about the 30-year-old’s future — that he would leave the Jaipur-based franchise and move to either the Kolkata Knight Riders or Chennai Super Kings. Samson is also the captain of the Rajasthan Royals.“RR have decided not to trade Samson or any of their players for now. Samson is very much a part of the Royals set-up and the undisputed captain of the team,” a reliable source told TOI on Tuesday.Coming back from a right index finger fracture sustained during the home T20I series against England in February — which required surgery — Samson could play only nine games in IPL 2025, scoring 285 runs at an impressive strike rate of 140.39. He later missed a few games due to a side strain injury. In his absence, Rajasthan Royals were led by India’s white-ball all-rounder Riyan Parag.
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Filling Samson’s big shoes at the top of the order, Bihar’s 14-year-old left-handed opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi made a sensational debut for the Royals, smashing a breathtaking 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans.The frequent injuries that Samson suffered last season led to speculation that the ‘keeper-batter would be traded by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Samson opens the innings for India in T20Is and sometimes does the same for the Royals, who are coached by former India head coach Rahul Dravid.
