The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have rejected trade requests from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Sanju Samson, as per the latest reports from Cricbuzz. The reports suggest that RR has offered their skipper to CSK in the hope of receiving Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, or Shivam Dube in return. However, the Men in Yellow have stayed firm and rejected the trade offers.For the uninitiated, Samson had asked RR to trade or release him ahead of the 2026 IPL auction at around the same time last week. The news has dominated the Indian cricketing universe over the past few days, with several franchises possibly trying their luck to receive the RR skipper.Samson has been with RR since the start of his IPL career in 2013. However, he missed five matches in IPL 2025 and played several other games as the Impact Sub due to various injuries.Riyan Parag led the side in his absence and in the ones he played as an Impact Sub. It has been rumored that RR may want to hand over the captaincy reins to Parag from next season.Meanwhile, CSK endured their worst-ever IPL season this year, finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their rich history. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad played only five matches before being ruled out of the tournament with an injury.Jadeja scored over 300 runs and picked up 10 wickets in IPL 2025, yet his performance did not result in CSK wins. On the other hand, Dube was on and off throughout the season, finishing with 357 runs at a strike rate of only 132.22.“Rajasthan Royals has meant the world to me" - Sanju SamsonDespite the trade rumors dominating social media, Sanju Samson hailed RR as a franchise in a recent conversation with former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin. The 30-year-old has scored over 4,700 runs in his IPL career at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of almost 140.Talking about RR on Ashwin's YouTube channel, days after his trade request went viral, Samson said (via Rajasthan Royals website):"Rajasthan Royals has meant the world to me. A small child coming from a village in Kerala, wanting to show his talent. And then Rahul (Dravid) sir and Manoj Badale sir gave me a stage to get up and show the world what I am made of. That time, they trusted me throughout. The journey with Rajasthan Royals has been really great, and I’m very grateful to have been in a franchise like that. It really means a lot to me."RR also appointed Samson as their captain ahead of the 2021 season. The move paid dividends with the wicketkeeper batter leading the side to a runners-up finish in 2022. However, they have missed the playoffs in two of the last three IPL editions.