Rajasthan Royals likely to trade Sanju Samson for CSK all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals are likely to trade their captain Sanju Samson for star Chennai Super Kings all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026.
Samson has spent a majority of his IPL career with the Royals whom he has also led since being named their full-time captain in IPL 2021.
A senior official from five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings confirmed to PTI that the franchise is interested in roping in the 30-year-old Samson, who has also been a regular member of the Indian T20I side.
"Everyone knows we are interested in getting Sanju. We have expressed our interest of procuring him in this trading window. RR is yet to confirm as their management said they are weighing the options. We are hopeful Sanju will play for CSK," a senior CSK official said on condition of anonymity.
Samson has represented RR, the winners of the inaugural IPL in 2008, for 11 years and after the conclusion of this year's edition, the wicketkeeper-batter had admitted that he was looking for a change and wanted to be released by the franchise.
Jadeja, who was a member of the Rajasthan Royals in the first two IPL editions, has spent a majority of his career at Chennai Super Kings where he has not just been one of their frontline players, but was also promoted to captaincy when MS Dhoni stepped away from the role before the 2022 edition.
The 27-year-old England all-rounder Curran has been a part of CSK as well as Punjab Kings franchises.
For the trade off to proceed, both RR and CSK will be required to provide expression of interest to the IPL governing council and once the players provide their written consents, the two teams will have to work out the final agreement, which also would be ratified by the governing body.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
