"I won't let Sanju go at all" - Former Indian captain's huge statement on trade rumors involving RR ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth believes the Rajasthan Royals (RR) should not let go of skipper Sanju Samson in a trade ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The Kerala wicketkeeper has spent 11 out of his 13 IPL seasons with the franchise, including his last eight.

However, Samson has been involved in several trade rumours throughout the off-season, heading into the auction. Recent developments suggest that the Delhi Capitals (DC) have expressed interest in the 30-year-old with a trade involving Tristan Stubbs.

Talking about the same on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said (16:28):

"If I was the RR owner, I won't let Sanju Samson go at all. Even if he wants to go, why would I leave a big player like Sanju Samson? Likewise, why would DC let go of Tristan Stubbs? He has done very well for them. Even for Sanju Samson, I won't let Stubbs go."

He continued:

"That too if it's Stubbs and an Ashutosh Sharma for Sanju Samson, I'll go ahead if I am RR. It's not a bad deal. It'll be fair for both teams. DC also will lose a lot out of this, as much as RR loses without Sanju. Ashutosh Sharma also won two to three matches for them. He's a match-winner, as is Stubbs."

While Samson is priced at ₹18 crores, DC signed Stubbs for ₹10 crores, meaning they will have to add another player or two to match the salaries in a potential trade.

"Their order is almost fully set" - Kris Srikkanth on CSK

Kris Srikkanth believes the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have very little to do in the upcoming 2026 auction, given their already well-set unit. The Men in Yellow endured their worst-ever IPL season this year, finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their history.

"Like MI, they (CSK) are also all set with their new acquisitions last season. Their order is almost fully set with: Gaikwad, Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni, Ellis, Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel/Kamboj," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"If they can get Cameron Green in the auction after releasing guys like Curran, Overton, Conway, etc, it will be ideal with Ashwin already gone. CSK will go only for youngsters going forward."

Despite their proud history with a joint-record five IPL titles, CSK have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons. However, they discovered several young talents, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, and Dewald Brevis, among others, in the second half of the 2025 IPL season.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran