Rajasthan Royals have let go of their star skipper, Sanju Samson, to Chennai Super Kings for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran as they got busy ahead of the IPL 2026 auction next month. The much-talked-about trade was finally confirmed by the two franchises on their social media handles on the retention day on November 15.
Samson, who was retained for Rs 18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, went to the Super Kings for the same price. The Royals have got Jadeja for a curtailed fee of Rs 14 crore, down from the 18 crore prize he was retained for ahead of 2025. The Royals have also got Sam Curran for Rs 2.4 crore. Meanwhile, RR have also traded Nitish Rana to the Delhi Capitals, while bringing in Donovan Ferreira from the Capitals.
Speaking on the trades, RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara dwelt upon the thinking behind their trades. "When we look at a good finisher, someone who attacks spin and pace, Donovan Ferreira stands out, has had a good year, a player with great potential. When we looked at it, felt it was the right trade with Nitish. To have him in our bank gives us a big advantage in managing our purse, also the ability to play different combinations having traded Jadeja and Sam Curran. It allows us flexibility to try out different options," Sangakkara said.
Meanwhile, the franchise has retained the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, among others.
List of Players released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026 auction:
Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Rathore and Kumar Kartikeya.
List of Players retained by RR ahead of IPL 2026 auction:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger
