3 reasons why Delhi Capitals must not trade in Sanju Samson for IPL 2026

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain, Sanju Samson, has been linked to a new franchise months after being linked to IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As per reports, Delhi Capitals (DC) have shown their interest in the wicketkeeper-batter.

The report surfaced even as the Delhi-based franchise finished fifth in the IPL 2025 points table. Axar Patel led the team to seven wins in 14 games, including a game that didn’t yield a result. With only one point difference as compared to fourth-placed Mumbai Indians (MI), they marginally missed out on a place in the playoffs.

Samson has been playing for the Royals since his first-ever IPL season in 2013. The 30-year-old, however, managed to play only nine matches in the IPL 2025 due to an injury. As a result, Riyan Parag led the team in eight games, winning two of them. Meanwhile, the franchise finished ninth with four wins in 14 matches.

With the bat, Samson amassed 285 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 140.39 with the help of a half-century. The right-hander played as an impact substitute in a few matches.

Interestingly, RR's management is undergoing a major overhaul, as head coach Rahul Dravid and several other members of the coaching staff have left their jobs. Thus, it remains to be seen whether Samson wants to stick with the same franchise for IPL 2026.

In this article, we take a look at why Sanju Samson is not an ideal fit for DC:

3 reasons why Delhi Capitals must not trade in Sanju Samson for IPL 2026

Will have to release one of the key players

DC will have to release one of their key players to accommodate Sanju Samson. The Royals had retained him for a whopping ₹18 crore last year. The Kerala-born player is unlikely to settle for a lesser amount.

Notably, KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs are among the key players for the Capitals. They were signed for ₹14 crore and ₹10 crore, respectively. Rahul had a phenomenal IPL season last year, amassing 539 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 149.72 with the help of three fifties and one century. Meanwhile, Tristan Stubbs scored 300 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 150.75. Thus, the Capitals will be keen to retain these two Indian and foreign players.

Skipper Axar Patel was the most expensive player for ₹16.5 crore. The southpaw had an impressive season with the bat, scoring 263 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 157.48. The left-arm spinner, however, managed just five wickets with the ball. The 31-year-old also led exceptionally well, showcasing his brilliant leadership skills. The Parth Jindal co-owned franchise might give another chance to the key Indian all-rounder.

DC have issues elsewhere

Delhi Capitals have issues in their bowling department. The core Indian bowlers failed to deliver on numerous occasions throughout the IPL 2025 season. While skipper Axar had a below-par season with the ball, Mohit Sharma bagged just two wickets in eight innings. Mohit, in particular, was bought for ₹2 crore at the mega auction last year.

Similarly, Mukesh Kumar failed to deliver, managing just 12 wickets in as many innings at an economy rate of 10.32. T Natarajan bowled in a solitary match against the Gujarat Titans (GT), getting hammered for 49 runs in his three overs. While Mukesh was bought for ₹8 crore, the Capitals splurged ₹10.75 crore to purchase Natarajan.

As a result, DC might look for a proper replacement for Mukesh. The franchise will also have to decide whether they want to play Natarajan next season or release him before the auction.

Like Indian bowlers, Dushmantha Chameera failed to step up with the ball. The Sri Lankan pacer bagged four wickets in five innings at a poor economy rate of 11.40.

Thus, bowling issues would continue to prevail if DC brings in Sanju Samson to their squad. His whopping price would cost them a proper bowling unit for the IPL 2026 season.

Affects the strong Indian batting core

With KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, and Abhishek Porel in their ranks, DC already have a strong batting lineup. Young wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek had a decent IPL 2025 season with the bat, managing 301 runs in 13 innings with the help of one fifty. The 22-year-old was retained for ₹4 crore.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh continued to weave magic with the bat after a breakthrough season with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2024. The middle-order batter amassed 204 runs in nine innings at a stunning strike rate of 160.62, including a half-century. The right-handed batter single-handedly helped the team win from a difficult situation with his unbeaten 66 (31) against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). DC bought him for ₹3.8 crore at the 2025 auction.

Sameer Rizvi also stepped up with the bat in the limited opportunities he got. The 21-year-old scored 121 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 153.16, including a fifty. His unbeaten 58 off 25 balls helped DC beat PBKS by chasing down 207 in their final league game.

On the contrary, Karun Nair had a mixed season with the bat, scoring 198 runs in eight innings but at a tremendous strike rate of 172.12, including a fifty. Given their lower salaries, the franchise is likely to retain Rizvi and Nair for ₹95 lakh and ₹50 lakh, respectively.

In addition, Vipraj Nigam has boosted the batting unit. The all-rounder amassed 142 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 179.74 in his maiden IPL season. His 39 (15) and 38 (19) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were the highlights of his stellar batting performances.

Thus, DC do not require Sanju Samson's services in the batting unit. His whopping IPL price might only force the franchise to let go of some of the key Indian batters, affecting the core Indian batting unit.