Cricketer-turned-expert Aakash Chopra has stated that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might show interest in acquiring the services of Rajasthan Royals (RR) player Sanju Samson if the franchise lets go of him in the upcoming mini auction. The former India player noted that KKR might be desperate to get hold of an Indian keeper-batter & also a potential captain by getting the RR player, and can release their big-ticket buy Venkatesh Iyer to make the required budget available.
Several reports are saying that Samson is not interested in continuing with the Royals and wishes to be traded or put in the mini auction. KKR, which currently has Quinton de Kock & Rahmanullah Gurbaz as the wicketkeeper-batters, might be heavily interested in investing in an Indian keeper-batter. Notably, both Gurbaz and de Kock failed to perform well for KKR, making the buying of Samson more interesting.
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In a video shared on his YouTube Channel, Chopra said that KKR might be even more interested in acquiring Sanju Samson than CSK.
"The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR doesn't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what's wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well," Chopra reasoned (4:25).
Also Read: IPL 2026: Sanju Samson Formally Requests Rajasthan Royals To Trade Or Release Him - Reports
"However, Ajinkya Rahane as a batter, whether he opens or else the batting order has been a bit of a problem. They have a player they can release as well. If they wish, they can release Venkatesh Iyer, free up nearly ₹24 crore, and then they can actually make a difference," he added.
RR did blunder by letting go of Jos Buttler: Aakash Chopra
For the unversed, the Royals would never have faced the issue of keeper-batter if they had retained England's Jos Buttler, who kept wickets for three years. However, in a big blunder, one must say, they failed to retain the England keeper, who was bagged by GT for INR 15 Crore. Chopra stated that Buttler might have made way for Samson to open the innings at the top for RR.
"Why would Sanju Samson want to leave? It's interesting because when the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go, and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick," he said.
The former India player further went on to state that Samson leaving RR would have something to do with the emergence of Vaibhav Suryavanshi as an opener at the top, along with the now-established Jaiswal.
Also Read: No Duleep Trophy for Sanju Samson as Selection Favors Consistent and Commited Performers
"I felt there would have been a massive input from Sanju in the players they retained or released. However, now it seems it might not have been there. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave. If he is thinking like that, it's possible. These are conjectures. I don't know what's in his and Rajasthan's minds," Chopra observed.
By his lofty standards, Samson had a mediocre IPL 2025 season, which was also cut short due to injury. The RR skipper only scored 285 runs at a strike rate of 140 in the nine innings he batted.
