Sanju Samson officially joins CSK for INR 18 crore, Ravindra Jadeja traded to RR for INR 4 cr less in huge IPL shake-up

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Sanju Samson officially joins CSK for INR 18 crore, Ravindra Jadeja traded to RR for INR 4 cr less in huge IPL shake-up

Sanju Samson joins CSK as Ravindra Jadeja moves to the Rajasthan Royals. Here is the full list of trade updates. 

 

At last, it's official. The Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja swap deal is complete. For the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Samson will wear the yellow jersey, while Jadeja returns to the franchise where his IPL career began - the Rajasthan Royals. Apart from Jadeja, England all-rounder Sam Curran also moved to the Royals, and he will be wearing the pink jersey for the next edition of the cash-rich league.

 

Sanju Samson joins CSK as Ravindra Jadeja moves to the Rajasthan Royals. (IPL)

 

 

As a result of this swap deal, Jadeja's league amount has also decreased, and he'll now be receiving INR 14 crore from the Royals instead of the previous INR 18 crore, for which he was retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. On the other hand, Samson has moved across to CSK at his existing fees of INR 18 crore. 

 

 

 

Arjun Tendulkar, who was with the Mumbai Indians for the last few editions of the tournament, has been traded to the Lucknow Super Giants. Mohammed Shami will also turn up for the Rishabh Pant-led side after moving over from SunRisers Hyderabad.

 

Apart from the above-mentioned trades, Mayank Markande will now represent the Mumbai Indians instead of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), while Nitish Rana has been traded from the Royals to the Delhi Capitals.

Here is the full list of trade deals and full details regarding the same:

Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja, who played for CSK for 12 seasons, is one of the most experienced players in the IPL, having played 254 games. As part of the trade agreement, his league fee has been revised from INR 18 crore to INR 14 crore.

Sanju Samson

Samson will now represent CSK at his existing league fee of INR 18 crore. He has played 177 IPL matches, and the five-time champions will be only the third franchise of his career. Since making his IPL debut in 2013, the senior pro has represented the Royals in all but two seasons—2016 and 2017—when he played for Delhi Capitals. He also led the Royals to the finals of the tournament in 2022.

Sam Curran

England all-rounder Sam Curran will move from CSK to the Royals at his existing league fee of INR 2.4 crore following a successful trade. The 27-year-old has played 64 IPL matches, and RR will be his third franchise, having previously played for the Punjab Kings in 2019, 2023 and 2024, and CSK in the other seasons.

Mohammed Shami

Veteran fast bowler Shami will turn out for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after a successful trade from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Shami will move to the Risbabh Pant-led side at his existing fees of INR 10 crore. He has so far played 119 IPL matches across five franchises since making his debut in 2013.

Before joining SRH, Shami was an integral part of the Gujarat Titans setup, winning the Purple Cap in 2023 with 28 wickets in 17 matches.

Mayank Markande

Leg-spinner Mayank Markande will return to his former franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI), following a successful trade from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Acquired by KKR for a fee of INR 30 lakh, Markande will join MI at his existing fee.

Arjun Tendulkar

Bowling all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, will now turn up for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) following a successful transfer from the Mumbai Indians. Arjun will move to LSG at his existing fee of INR 30 lakh.

Nitish Rana

Left-hander Nitish Rana will now represent Delhi Capitals (DC) following a trade from Rajasthan Royals (RR). He will continue at his existing fee of INR 4.2 crore. Rana had earlier led the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023 when Shreyas Iyer was sidelined due to injury.

Donovan Ferreira

All-rounder Donovan Ferreira will return to his first franchise, Rajasthan Royals (RR), following a successful trade from Delhi Capitals (DC). As per the transfer agreement, his fee has been revised from INR 75 lakh to INR 1 crore.

 

In one of the most historic moments in IPL, the Rajasthan Royals have traded their captain, Sanju Samson, to the Chennai Super Kings. At the same time, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja makes a return to the Rajasthan-based franchise.

 

The deal, cleared by the BCCI after brief technical issues, also includes Sam Curran, turning it into a rare three-player trade.

With the retention deadline only hours away, RR and CSK finalised a deal that had been in discussion for weeks. What started as a straight swap between Samson and Jadeja became a bigger negotiation after Rajasthan insisted on adding Sam Curran.

 

Both Samson and Jadeja had the same retention value of INR 18 crore, but Rajasthan chose to secure Curran, valued at INR 2.4 crore. Notably, Samson will represent CSK at his existing league fee of INR 18 crore.

 

Notably, Samson's exit from Rajasthan Royals was not sudden. Over the last two seasons, Samson grew increasingly disconnected from the franchise's decisions. The release of Jos Buttler, followed by senior players Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, convinced Samson that RR were looking to rebuild, which he did not fully support.

 

According to reports, there were also internal disagreements about his batting position. Samson wanted to open the innings, but RR were committed to backing young opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi. By the time Samson returned from injury in IPL 2025, the new pairing of Jaiswal and Suryavanshi worked too well for management to break it. This left Samson at No. 3, a role he did not favour long-term.

Jadeja not confirmed RR's captaincy

Meanwhile, CSK had reportedly been pursuing the Kerala-born for three years.

 

With MS Dhoni nearing the end of his playing career, they were in search of a long-term Indian wicketkeeper-batter who could lead the batting and potentially the team in the future.

 

On the other hand, Jadeja had earlier played his first two IPL seasons with RR before being suspended in 2010. At CSK, he became a franchise icon, playing 185 matches, scoring 2000 runs, and taking 140+ wickets, including his unforgettable finishing act in the 2023 final. Meanwhile, for Jadeja, as part of the trade agreement, his league fee has been revised from INR 18 crore to INR 14 crore.

However, with CSK looking to revamp their squad, the presence of Noor Ahmad, and Chepauk becoming less spin-friendly, the franchise felt Jadeja's role could be reduced in future seasons. Jadeja and Dhoni reportedly discussed the move beforehand and agreed it was best for both sides. Furthermore, RR has not guaranteed captaincy to Jadeja, but he is expected to be a senior figure in the setup.

Edited November 15, 2025 by rollingstoned