The Sanju Samson trade saga has witnessed another massive development with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) now ready to offer one of their two rising stars in exchange. According to a report in Bengali daily Anadabazar Patrika, the three-time IPL winners are willing to part ways with either Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Ramandeep Singh to bring in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain. While it’s also understood that the Royals want a quality spinner, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are not part of the discussions.
Notably, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were the favourites to get Samson but their attempt at an all-cash deal without offering any players has left the negotiations at a standstill. However, KKR has sensed an opportune moment and are looking to capitalise on it.
Securing the wicketkeeper-batter before the IPL 2026 auction would ideally be the best move for KKR, given they are in dire need of someone in a similar role. Furthermore, if Sanju goes into the auction, KKR can face stiff competition from other teams which would be a slightly risky affair.
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Signing Sanju would solve multiple problems for the Kolkata outfit as they look to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2026 after a subpar IPL 2025 where they finished eighth in the points table. Let’s take a look at how KKR can use Samson.
For Samson also, choosing KKR over CSK makes sense. CSK already has a captain in Ruturaj Gaikwad whereas KKR don’t have a long-term option. Plus, his batting position as an opener in the KKR lineup is already available with both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock expected to be released, while CSK are packed at the top of the batting order.
KKR bought both the youngsters ahead of the IPL 2024 season at their base prices of INR 20 lakhs. The duo impressed massively and played a crucial role in helping the franchise lift their third title.
While Ramandeep was retained for IPL 2025, KKR released Raghuvanshi only to buy him back later at the auction but now it seems that they are willing to sacrifice one of the two promising talents.
In the two seasons with KKR, Raghuvanshi scored 463 runs at an average of 28.93 which includes two fifties. On the other hand, Ramandeep, who did an excellent job in the role of a finisher in 2024 averaging over 30s while hitting at a rate over 200, struggled last season with a paltry average of 9 and a strike rate of 134.28.
