Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals in talks for biggest-ever IPL trade involving KL Rahul-Sanju Samson
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Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals have reportedly been in talks for the biggest player swap in the history of the IPL. The swap might involve the two marquee players from either side.
The IPL auction has been scheduled for December, and the retention list has to be finalized in November, which makes the window available for any trades. Cameron Green, on the other hand, has so far been cited as the star attraction of the mini-auction.
A few teams that have shown major interest in trades, like CSK and KKR, and now two other franchises have emerged in the scheme of things. The Delhi Capitals are looking forward to having their old lad back in the den ahead of the new season.
Sanju Samson is all set to get back to the Delhi Capitals?
Sanju Samson had asked the Rajasthan Royals to release him ahead of the mini-auction, as he desired to explore his options within other franchises. But the buzz around Sanju Samson has gotten louder than expected, with many teams coming into the race.
Chennai Super Kings, who initially were the biggest among bidders for the Samson trade, took a step back after the Royals demanded veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in return. However, there was neither an official confirmation regarding the possible trade nor of its snub.
Now, with just 2 weeks left for announcing the player retentions, Abhishek Tripathi from Dainik Jagran reports that there have been new trade talks between the Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals over a probable swap between their players.
🚨 A BIG IPL UPDATE 🚨
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 31, 2025
Exclusive - IPL's biggest Player Trade swap likely to happen ahead of the Auction. ✅ pic.twitter.com/yN28F0gZ7C
KL Rahul might be the trade exchange for Samson; KKR snubbed
The Abhishek Tripathi tweet further explained that the swap trade deal between the Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals would involve the former Royals skipper, Sanju Samson, and the Capitals' top scorer from the previous season, KL Rahul.
Rahul, the veteran Indian opener, was bought in by the Delhi Capitals with a worthy INR 14 crores in the mega-auction. Rahul also kept his name, scoring over 500 runs with a century for the Capitals and demonstrating great versatility by batting at various positions in the batting order.
As per the latest revelations, a historic trade deal in to take place ahead of the upcoming mini-auction, and Sanju Samson and KL Rahul are being swapped as trade is in itself huge news. The two players have had monumental success over the years in the IPL.
अभी सिर्फ बातचीत हुई है ट्रेडिंग की। राहुल और संजू में ट्रेडिंग हो सकती है... अभी कुछ पूरी तरह से कन्फर्म नहीं है।#IPL2026
— Abhishek Tripathi / अभिषेक त्रिपाठी (@abhishereporter) October 31, 2025
Samson might be cited with captaincy roles for the Capitals
The Delhi Capitals bought in KL Rahul in the mega-auction, but the captaincy was handed over to their highest-paid retained player, Axar Patel. The Indian all-rounder did a fair job with the role, winning some games early on in the tournament.
However, slowly the players' form dipped, and so did Axar's captaincy, as they lost several close games. He himself could not perform very well with the ball as he went overboard to safeguard his bowlers.
The Capitals missed a definitive spot in the playoffs and hence would be targeting to revive their chances with a new skipper. Sanju Samson can be the ideal man for the role, having led the Royals to two playoffs as well as the finals in 2022.
