"He will stay in RR only" - Indian legend’s massive prediction on Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026

Indian spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin made a huge prediction on Sanju Samson's future in the IPL. There have been talks about the wicketkeeper batter wanting to move away from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the 2026 season.

Sanju Samson is currently RR's captain. He was retained for ₹18 crore ahead of IPL 2025. However, due to an injury, he could not play the entire season. He played nine matches and scored 285 runs with one half-century.

Speaking on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat', Ashwin reckoned that Samson would remain at Rajasthan despite the talks about him moving to a new franchise.

"I have no idea till now. I will ask him. He will tell me. If he goes to the auction how do we know what will happen? I think after everything that happens he will stay in RR only," he said. (26:39)

Samson has been an integral part of the RR set-up and a consistent performer for them over the last few seasons. In a recent podcast with Ashwin, the wicketkeeper had expressed what the franchise meant to him.

“Rajasthan Royals has meant the world to me. A small child coming from a village in Kerala, wanting to show his talent. And then Rahul (Dravid) sir and Manoj Badale sir gave me a stage to get up and show the world what I am made of," he had said. (via Rajasthan Royals).

It remains to be seen whether Samson will stay with the franchise or join a new team ahead of IPL 2026.

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Sanju Samson's record with RR in IPL

Sanju Samson began his journey in the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. He played three seasons for them before moving to the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2016. However, he returned for a second stint with the Royals in 2018 and has remained with the franchise ever since.

Overall, Samson has played 11 seasons for them in the IPL so far. In 149 matches, the right-hander has scored 4027 runs, averaging 31.71 with a strike-rate of 141.25, with two hundreds and 23 half-centuries.

In total, he has played 177 games in the IPL, scoring 4704 runs at an average of 30.94 and a strike-rate of 139.04 with three hundreds and 26 fifties. Rajasthan and Delhi are the only two teams that he has played for in the league to date.

Edited by Rishab Vm