Rajasthan Royals announce new captain after Sanju Samson requests exit
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Rajasthan Royals are considering appointing a new skipper from the upcoming edition of the IPL in 2026 if the current skipper, Sanju Samson, decides to part ways with the franchise.
Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson has been in talks over the last few seasons in the IPL due to his promising record with the bat. He was recalled to the Indian side as the opening batter in T20s. Samson has been promising for the Men in Blue as well, scoring multiple hundreds throughout the last few T20I series for India.
Samson is reportedly set to leave the franchise after being linked with various sides in the IPL. Franchises usually decide to release their players who don't want to stay with them. IPL has witnessed the transfer of major players like Shikhar Dhawan, Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, and many others.
Rajasthan Royals informed of Sanju Samson's likely exit
Sanju Samson, the wicket-keeper batsman and skipper of the Rajasthan Royals, is possibly on his way out of the franchise, as he has formally informed the franchise of his decision. RR retained Samson for a huge INR 18 Crore in the previous season and has the full discretion to decide whether to release Samson or not.
Sanju Samson has been linked with franchises like the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders, considering that either of these sides would be in need of an opening batsman, a wicket-keeper, and a futuristic skipper for the coming editions of the league.
Though nothing has been confirmed as of yet, it seems Samson looks set to move on from the Royals, and it remains to be seen if the franchise decides to trade him or release him before the IPL mini-auction.
Rajasthan Royals foresee an Indian youngster as a successor to Samson
Riyan Parag joined Rajasthan Royals back in 2019, and since then, the young man has been a part of the IPL franchise. In the absence of Sanju Samson, Parag led the Royals in 2025 in several matches, though he could not manage to win that many games.
Hence, the fans cited that Parag would be an automatic replacement for Sanju Samson, but that might not be the case, as per reports. RevSportz has claimed that Yashasvi Jaiswal will be a strong contender to replace Samson as the RR skipper.
Jaiswal has been a star for India in the T20Is and the Tests, but has never captained any team in his domestic as well as international career. He could be cited as the future of the Rajasthan Royals; however, his inexperience would be a huge drawback to his future plans.
Sanju Samson's RR career
Samson joined the Rajasthan Royals back in IPL 2013, and since then, his performances have been remarkable in the history of the Indian Premier League. His dominance in the IPL earned him his maiden Team India call-up in 2014 and made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2015.
His main stint started with the Royals as he returned in 2018, as he was picked in the mega-auction and has been with them since then, while taking up the captaincy role in 2021. Under him in the second season of his captaincy, the Royals made it to the finals of the 2022 season.
Sanju Samson is the highest run-getter in the history of the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals, as he has 4027 runs in 149 matches. As a captain, he has 33 wins in 67 matches.
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