Rajasthan Royals (RR) are tasked with the major responsibility of finding a Sanju Samson replacement after trading their skipper to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season.
While they got the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange, RR will need to find a top-order wicketkeeper-batter to fill Samson’s void. It is understood that a Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player, who failed to make the retention list, has given trials with the inaugural champions.
Luvnith Sisodia, who was bought by KKR for INR 30 lakhs at the mega-auction last time around, shared a story on his Instagram at the Rajasthan Royals academy in Talegaon, Nagpur, which further confirms the speculation. Sisodia is yet to make his IPL debut and even if RR don’t see him as a first-choice option, he can be secured in a backup role. They had Kunal Singh Rathore last season but released him on the retention deadline day, which means that there is a vacancy in a similar role.
However, it remains to be seen if the RR will pursue him when the IPL 2026 auction takes place on December 16.
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Apart from Sisodia, the likes of Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are also available and the Royals can target them as a possible Sanju Samson replacement. Furthermore, the RR side also has the young Proteas wicketkeeper Lhuan-dre Pretorius in their lineup who can be promoted to the playing XI.
The 19-year-old was secured as an injury replacement last season for Nitish Rana and the Rajasthan outfit has retained him for next season for a cheap price of INR 30 lakhs.
While he didn’t get any opportunity to bat in the previous IPL season, he has looked in sublime form this year, making his international debut across all three formats for the Proteas. The Royals already have the likes of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal in their ranks and they might consider putting responsibilities on the Proteas as well.
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