KKR join race for Sanju Samson race, offer RR two players including last year's Team India debutant: Report

The IPL rumour mill has been churning in this brief window of break for the Indian national team. The most on-demand player, the one who every IPL team has an eye on, is current Rajasthan Royals captain and Indian T20I opener Sanju Samson. Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson flips the coin at a toss in IPL 2025.(ANI)

The latest team to join the Samson sweepstakes are reportedly Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise in search of a marquee domestic talent to take charge of their top order in the coming seasons. With the RR captain seemingly an option on the table even before the auction for next year’s competition, Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika reports that KKR are considering flipping the high-profile talents of Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Ramandeep Singh.

While both players provide high domestic upside and are players for the long-term future, RR will need to ask themselves how they also fit into current plans. For the team from Jaipur, the problem areas in 2025 was pace bowling and reliable lower middle order batting. Neither of the players they would receive in exchange for Samson are particularly suited for those roles, but could still prove to be valuable purchases for a team that has never shied away from taking big gambles on younger prospects.

Is Samson a good fit for KKR?

Meanwhile, Samson would fit in nicely at KKR, taking over the gloves and opening up an extra overseas slot as he would replace Quinton de Kock or Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the opening position. The key for the two teams would be to figure out the nitty-gritty details of such a team: Samson earns a top band of retainer money at INR 18 crore, suiting his status as Indian opener, but the two younger players only combine for INR 7 crore combined. Any such deal will likely include some cash involved.

KKR are not the only team Samson has been linked with, as different reports indicate that Chennai Super Kings are very serious about landing the services of Samson for their team. However, RR’s demands in response are steep, as they ask for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-round power hitter Shivam Dube, or a homecoming for experienced veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

A potential Samson trade is likely to be a matter of concern for much of the league, with everyone with their ears to the ground in terms of finding the right trade for the Kerala superstar.

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