India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has spoken candidly about his high-profile trade from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of IPL 2026, revealing that a moment of quiet clarity after IPL 2025 convinced him it was time to move on from the franchise he had called home for 11 years. Samson, who captained RR for five seasons, made the remarks on JioStar's chat show 'Superstars.'

The moment Samson decided to leave RR

'Moving on from RR was a very big decision for me,' Samson said. 'I believe that after playing for a team for some time, you start to feel like this is your team and nobody can remove you.'

He added that after IPL 2025 concluded, a realisation set in. 'I always had the awareness that there is a limited time for everyone at one place. You do your part, and you move out. After the end of IPL 2025, a point came when I felt that I should move on. I told myself that the boys are ready, and RR is ready to play without Sanju Samson. That is when I thought of leaving,' he said.

Why CSK was the destination of choice

Samson acknowledged that two or three franchise options were available to him at the time, but CSK stood apart. He cited the influence of veteran MS Dhoni, the franchise's culture, and his friendship with current CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad as decisive factors.

'Based on what I had heard about CSK from other players, I felt that this franchise was my type. If I go there, it will be very good for me,' he said. He also noted the complexity of a trade deal — requiring agreement from all parties — and expressed relief at how it concluded. 'Luckily, I ended up in CSK. It was a great feeling,' he added.

The Dhoni dream, deferred

A significant part of Samson's motivation for joining CSK was the prospect of sharing the field with his childhood idol, MS Dhoni. He recalled cutting out Dhoni's pictures from advertisements and pasting them in his diary as a schoolboy, and going to sleep dreaming of batting alongside him.

'Now, I have joined CSK. I felt like destiny had brought me here, and I would finally get to play with him. But unfortunately, he wasn't fit this time. He had a calf injury towards the end. But the dream is still alive. Let's see what happens next year,' Samson said.

Sreesanth's role in Samson's IPL discovery

Samson traced his IPL journey back to former India pacer S Sreesanth, who reportedly championed his cause during Rajasthan Royals trials when Samson was approximately 16 years old and had been dropped from the Kerala state team for poor form.

According to Samson, Sreesanth pushed the Kerala team secretary, TC Mathew, to include him in a key Ranji Trophy match, saying, 'I'll make him perform.' Samson responded with scores of 122 in the first innings and 51 in the second. Sreesanth then took him to trials in Jaipur, where he was introduced to Rahul Dravid — and, by Samson's account, Sreesanth embellished his performance to impress Dravid on the spot.

The bench, the diary, and his IPL debut in 2013

Despite Dravid's promise of an opportunity, Samson sat out the first five or six games of the 2013 IPL season. He used that period to hold daily half-hour conversations with Dravid and pick the brains of teammates including Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, and Brad Hodge, recording their advice in a personal diary.

His debut eventually came due to an injury to regular wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik. Playing against Punjab, an 18-year-old Samson scored 27 not out batting at number six and took three to four dismissals behind the stumps. However, when Yagnik recovered, Samson was dropped for the following match — his first taste of the precarious nature of IPL selection. That experience, he suggested, shaped the resilience that has defined his career since.

With IPL 2026 now underway at CSK, Samson's next chapter is being written — and whether Dhoni's fitness permits one final shared season will be among the most watched storylines of the tournament.