IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Receive Trade Offers For Six Players

Which RR players could move out of the Royals unit?

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the Rajasthan Royals have received trade offers for six of their players. While the names of the players who have been in demand have not been made public, it is understood that one of the players would be Sanju Samson. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal could be another key player who would have received interest from other franchises. The 23-year-old holds captaincy ambitions, and would want to go to a franchise where he is either made the captain immediately or at least is made vice-captain. Ideally, Jaiswal would have liked to stay with the Royals; however, the previous season saw Riyan Parag leading the side when Sanju Samson was unavailable. 

Among the remaining players who received trade interest could be Dhruv Jurel. The right-handed batter is looked at as a backup wicketkeeper to Samson. However, in teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Jurel could be a great fit given that they need a wicketkeeper who could bat in the middle order. 

Apart from receiving trade interests from multiple franchises, reportedly, the Royals themselves have initiated trade talks with other teams. If any of these trades indeed go through, then it would be a never-before-seen trade window in the history of the IPL. It has been only two years since Hardik Pandya’s move to the Mumbai Indians shook the cricketing world and fans. 

Sanju Samson to CSK

Sanju Samson’s potential trade to the Chennai Super Kings has been pretty well documented. Recent developments suggest that the five-time champions are ready to offload two of their players in order to get Samson to wear the iconic yellow jersey. The wicketkeeper batter has a massive fan following all across India, especially in the Southern parts of the country. Not only could he solve top-order woes and take up wicketkeeping duties, but he could also be the face of the franchise for years to come. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has led the side in the past two years, has the unfortunate record of leading CSK to a wooden-spoon finish.

A change in the leadership unit might be in the offing as Samson makes his way to Chennai. The two players could be Shivam Dube and Ravichandran Ashwin, who would make way for Samson. Both Dube and Ashwin have already played for RR in the past and could very well join their former team ahead of IPL 2026.

CSK is looking at options beyond Dhoni

There is no doubt that the Chennai Super Kings are preparing for a life beyond MS Dhoni. The former Indian skipper has been the lynchpin for them since the inception of the Indian Premier League. However, as all good things must come to an end, the partnership between Dhoni and CSK might have ended after IPL 2025. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter was retained by the five-time champions as an uncapped player after the BCCI introduced a new rule allowing players who have not played international cricket for five years to be considered uncapped. 

Dhoni will be a few months shy of turning 45 when the next season of the IPL rolls up. Even though he is still quicker than almost everyone when it comes to stumpings, however, his age might have finally caught up with him when it comes to batting. His struggles against spin bowlers have been pretty evident to the point that teams often save an over or two of wrist spinners.