Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have traded Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Saju Samson from Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Sanju Samson moved to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for ₹18 crore, the biggest trade deal in the team’s history.
While Samson will now be seen in the iconic yellow jersey, CSK legend Ravindra Jadeja will return to where his IPL journey began – Rajasthan Royals. His move comes with a revised salary of ₹14 crore. They will also lose England all-rounder Sam Curran, who went to RR for ₹2.4 crore.
Kasi Vishwanathan reveals why CSK took the toughest decision to part ways with Ravindra Jadeja
After the official confirmation of the deal, the five-time champion has made it clear that this exchange has been done with mutual consent with Jadeja and Curran. The franchise paid tribute to one of its long-serving warriors with an emotional post on social media.
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He shared moments from Jadeja’s first season with CSK and captioned it: The sword that protected the Yellow Kingdom. There are players, and there are defenders. They were both. Today we bow our heads in gratitude. To end. for decisive spellsAlways our king, always our bagapathy, always our jaddu,
The sword that protected the Yellow Kingdom.
are players
And there are protectors.
They were both.Today we bow our heads in gratitude.
To end.
for decisive spells,Always our king.
always our bagapathy,
always our jaddu,#whistlepoddu #ThalapathyForever pic.twitter.com/tzOLpvBqyF– Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) 15 November 2025
CSK CEO reveals the bold strategy behind Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja-Sam Curran trade
Meanwhile, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan explained the thought process behind the major trade involving Samson, Jadeja and Curran. He said that franchises generally avoid trading players and they had done so only once before, when they brought in Robin Uthappa.
However, this time the team felt the dire need of a reliable Indian top-order batsman. Since very few Indian batsmen of that quality were expected to be available in the IPL 2026 auction, the CSK CEO said that the management believes the only practical way to secure someone is through the trade window.
Vishwanathan has stated that due to this situation the franchise had to take the very difficult decision of parting ways with Jadeja as the team is going through an important transition phase. He also stressed that before finalizing anything, CSK spoke directly to Curran and Jadeja and the move was completed only after mutual understanding.
In an Instagram video, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said, “Considering the changes CSK is going through at this time, the team management took the toughest decision. This was probably one of the toughest decisions for CSK, as the team management had to take. It is important that we should consult the players concerned, and only after mutual consent we took this step. See, when I spoke to Jadeja, he was also very clear about whether there was an opportunity for him, because he also felt that He will do that.” He is at the last stage of his career in white ball, he may also get a break.
Speaking about Sam Curran, who was with the franchise in the 2020, 2021 and 2025 seasons, the CSK CEO said that the England all-rounder has consistently performed well for them, so dropping him was also one of the toughest calls for the franchise.
Well, Chennai Super Kings believe that rebuilding is very important for them for the next few years, especially because some players are nearing the end of their careers. With the upcoming event being a mini-auction, the options to find top Indian batsmen were very limited and that is why they targeted Samson, who has the experience, making him a strong long-term option for them.
Viswanathan acknowledged that fans will be emotional about these changes and he has already received many messages from supporters expressing their feelings. However, he believes the move was necessary to prepare CSK for the next chapter.
to be continued…