There have been few more explosive trade moves in the Indian Premier League and there’s some serious buzz about it. Rajasthan Royals would play long-standing captain Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings in exchange for superstar allrounder Ravindra Jadeja as well from England’s Sam Curran.
The three players in question have been notified by both clubs, but neither has confirmed the deal. As per the IPL trade rule, RR and CSK will have to write officially to the governing council showing their interest in trading players. After written consent has been given by all the players, the definitive agreement may be signed and approved.
A Move Years in the Making
Samson has been with RR over last 11 seasons and is one of their perennial stars. He had hinted at a fresh beginning after IPL 2025. That request led to the trade explorations, which RR initiated conversations with more than one team before zeroing in on CSK.
Jadeja, on the other hand, is almost a yellow jersey himself. The CSK allrounder has been with the franchise since 2012, except for those two years when the team was suspended. The franchise retained him for INR 18 crore before the mega auction of 2025, keeping faith in him being a core player along with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad as well as MS Dhoni.
Curran’s path has been less linear, but he is not short of love for CSK. He returned to the franchise and appeared in a few games played during the 2025 season.
A Titans-for-Titans Exchange
If the deal is completed, it will be one of the largest in IPL history based on each player’s value.
Ravindra Jadeja:
A three-time IPL winner with CSK, Jadeja is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise with 143 scalps. His last-over heroics in the 2023 final, meanwhile, still reverberate among CSK fans. Jadeja has played over 250 matches, and he has turned into a steadying influence and crowd pleaser.
Sanju Samson:
Samson, who is also RR’s highest run-scorer of all time with over 4000 runs, has led the team in 67 games and had a 50% win percentage. RR made the final in 2022 and then returned to the playoffs under his captaincy in 2024. His 531-run season in 2024, for example, is one of his most productive seasons.
Sam Curran:
Curran’s best moments were, of course, with Punjab Kings – notably when Curran was sold for INR 18.5 crore in 2023. He had a middling 2025 at Csk, but his potential as an allrounder in leopard-with-colonial-plume keeps him valuable in the trade market.
A Seismic Shake-Up for Each Team
The strategic change could transform both franchises.
Samson will be a long-term batting leader and perhaps the CSK captain for the future. His rock-solid nature, athletic use of the wicket and capacity to dominate matches at No.3 or No.4 represent high-impact recruiting.
For RR, Jadeja adds leadership, experience, bowling reliability and finishing touch. He’ll be returning to the team that he first played for in 2008, which is a poetic full-circle moment. He provides left-arm variety and lower-order depth – two aspects that RR has struggled with, according to Curran.
It’s All Going to Come Down to Player Consent
As per IPL regulations no transaction shall be concluded in the absence of full written player consent. All three have already been reached and are now progressing towards the trade being finalized.
If the deal is approved, it will be a blockbuster trade that dramatically reshapes the new season for all three cricketers and reverberates across the league – one of those seismic moves that changes power, identity and fan expectations in an instant.
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