Samson rejected for ageing Jadeja: Exposing CSK's IPL trade blunder before 2026 auction

CSK's Jadeja-Samson IPL blunder [Source: @Vikrant_1589/x.com]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season is still a few months away, but the buzz has certainly picked up as ahead of the mini auction, trade rumours have started to pick up speed. Several teams are aiming to bolster their squad by using trade deals, and one of them is the Rajasthan Royals, who are planning to release Sanju Samson.

Reportedly, the player has a broken relationship with the franchise and they are trying to offload him, either through a trade deal or by releasing him in the auction. Recently, there was a TOI report that stated that RR offered Samson to CSK, and they wanted Ravindra Jadeja in return.

Interestingly, CSK reportedly rejected the idea and were not interested in the rumoured trade deal. However, with the deal likely off, the question arises, did the Yellow Army make a mistake by rejecting the swap deal between Jadeja and Samson?.

The blunder that could cost CSK big time

Jadeja, at 36, is not getting any younger, and the performances have also dipped in the IPL. By trading Jadeja to accommodate Samson, CSK would have gotten a younger player, but they straightaway rejected the deal with RR.

(Jadeja in IPL 2025)

• While the performance with the bat was not bad, and Jadeja even had a decent strike rate, wickets were hard to come by as he only scalped 10 wickets in the league. Moreover, Jadeja’s power-hitting was questioned as there were games where he just fell off and failed to increase the batting tempo.
• Interestingly, in the last two seasons, his performances have dipped with the ball, as Jadeja has taken 18 wickets with more of a defensive approach.
• Plus, Jadeja was retained at 18 crores in the mega auction 2025, and giving such a hefty price to someone who is at the twilight of his career may not be a smart idea by CSK.

Why Samson would have been the perfect fit for CSK

First of all, let us look at what CSK needs at the moment?. They need a solid captaincy option; the team also needs a long-term MS Dhoni keeping replacement, and they also need a brand new face for the side. Samson fits the bill perfectly, but it seems CSK has moved away from him.

Moreover, Samson’s performances in the IPL has been spectacular, and the RR captain has scored truckloads of runs for his team.

(Samson in last two IPL seasons)

• Despite playing just nine games in IPL 2025 due to an injury, Samson had nearly 300 runs in the season, and in IPL 2024, the batter hammered 531 runs, showcasing his hunger for runs. In him, CSK would have had a run-machine at the top of the order.
• Also, the keeper has similar traits like MS Dhoni (calm and composed), and that would have worked perfectly for the franchise in the longer run.

Final verdict

CSK’s decision not to go after a trade deal between Samson and Jadeja might turn out to be a long-term blunder. Samson is young, fits the bill perfectly, whereas Jadeja is getting older and the performances has gone down. Samson would have solved CSK’s captaincy and keeping issues, but by rejecting the deal, they have raised problems for themselves.

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