Ravichandran Ashwin Hilariously Proposes To Trade Himself for Sanju Samson at CSK

Both Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals and R. Ashwin's Chennai Super Kings finished the 2025 IPL season with just eight points on the standings.

Ravichandran Ashwin Hilariously Proposes To Trade Himself for Sanju Samson at CSK

R Ashwin and Sanju Samson engaged in a light-hearted banter, amid rumors over a possible trade deal in the IPL. (via NDTV Sports)

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Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, known for his witty humor, left Sanju Samson in laughter after jokingly proposing to trade himself for Samson to facilitate the latter’s move to the Chennai Super Kings. Ashwin’s comments came just a day after reports speculated that he has decided to leave CSK.

Both R Ashwin and Sanju Samson have been making headlines due to the uncertainty surrounding their futures with their respective IPL franchises. Reports surrounding Samson’s future emerged first, with rumors suggesting that the 30-year-old is keen on leaving Rajasthan Royals amid differences with the management. Samson captained the 2008 IPL-winning franchise for the last five seasons since 2021.

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Following a dismal IPL 2025 campaign where they finished at the bottom of the table, CSK have emerged as potential suitors for Sanju Samson. Meanwhile, according to several reports, R Ashwin, who made an emotional return to CSK this summer, is also expected to depart. The 38-year-old, who announced his international retirement last year, had a difficult 2025 season, managing to take only seven wickets in nine matches.

Amid the uncertainty, the two IPL stars met on a recent podcast ‘Kutti Stories with Ash’, and the promo for their interaction quickly went viral on social media. In the clip, R Ashwin provided hints about a possible trade deal between the two IPL franchises. He began by questioning about the recent rumors about his future with CSK, and then humorously offered to trade himself directly for Sanju Samson.

Ashwin jokingly proposed that he would be happy to stay in Kerala, Samson’s native state, while urging the 30-year-old wicket-keeper batter to move the other way. This light-hearted suggestion about their futures left Samson, who was seated next to him, in stitches, as he even had to cover his face to control his laughter. Behind the scenes, a trade of this nature is not entirely out of the question, with Ashwin potentially returning to the Royals and Samson heading to Chennai.

I thought I’ll come directly and trade myself. I am happy to stay back in Kerala. There are a lot of rumors going on. Neither do I know of anything. If I can stay back in Kerala and you can travel back to Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu off-spinner and Sanju Samson played together for the Rajasthan Royals until last season before Ashwin made his homecoming to CSK after being picked up for a significant INR 9.75 crores in the 2025 IPL auction. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, was retained by RR for INR 18 crores, but the discord with the team’s management and head coach Rahul Dravid could lead to his departure.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the two players. If the two were to switch sides in a trade deal, it would be the third such major deal in recent years, following Hardik Pandya‘s 2024 trade from the GT to the MI and Cameron Green‘s trade from MI to the RC in the same year.

Teams Who Could Sign Sanju Samson If He Departs Rajasthan Royals

Sanju Samson has reportedly submitted a request to the Rajasthan Royals to be released ahead of the 2026 IPL season. If he decides to leave the Jaipur-based franchise next summer in search of a new challenge, several teams are expected to emerge as potential suitors.

Sanju Samson leave RR
Sanju Samson could leave RR ahead of 2026 IPL, with CSK and KKR interested in signing him. (via Inside Sport)

Chennai Super Kings are keen to bring in the 30-year-old as a potential long-term successor for MS Dhoni. Samson is even rumored to have discussed the possibility of a trade with the Super Kings management during the MLC season in the United States. Kolkata Knight Riders might also be interested if Samson becomes available, as they are looking for a specialist keeper-batter and a future captain.

In addition to these two teams, several other franchises could be interested in signing the talented wicket-keeper batter. Gujarat Titans could also be among the teams interested in signing Samson, while Mumbai Indians may keep tabs on him in case they decide to release one of their marquee players.