"They have a player they can release" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's potential interest in acquiring Sanju Samson if released by RR

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might be the most desperate to acquire Sanju Samson if the Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper is released by his franchise. He pointed out that the Kolkata-based franchise needs an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and a potential captain, and can release Venkatesh Iyer, if they wish, to make the required budget available.

Reports suggest Samson has asked RR to release him before the IPL 2026 auction. KKR didn't have a recognized Indian wicketkeeper-batter in IPL 2025, with Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz performing the role for the franchise.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reckoned that KKR might be keener than even the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to onboard Samson.

"The first name that comes to my mind is not CSK. KKR should be the most desperate team. KKR don't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what's wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well," Chopra reasoned (4:25).

"However, Ajinkya Rahane as a batter, either he opens or else the batting order has been a bit of a problem. They have a player they can release as well. If they wish, they can release Venkatesh Iyer, free up nearly ₹24 crore, and then they can actually make a difference," he added.

Aakash Chopra highlighted that Sanju Samson fits the bill completely for KKR as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and a captaincy option. He added that one shouldn't be surprised at all if the Kerala player is acquired by the three-time champions if released by RR.

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"I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open" - Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson's potential move from RR

Sanju Samson didn't open in all games in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra wondered why Sanju Samson would want to leave the Rajasthan Royals, highlighting that Jos Buttler was potentially released before the IPL 2025 auction to make a place for the RR captain at the top of the order.

"Why would Sanju Samson want to leave? It's interesting because when the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go, and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Vaibhav Suryavanshi's emergence as Yashasvi Jaiswal's opening partner might have forced Samson to consider leaving the franchise.

"I felt there would have been a massive input from Sanju in the players they retained or released. However, now it seems it might not have been there. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave. If he is thinking like that, it's possible. These are conjectures. I don't know what's in his and Rajasthan's minds," Chopra observed.

Sanju Samson aggregated 285 runs at a strike rate of 140.39 in nine innings in IPL 2025. Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed 252 runs, including the fastest-ever IPL century by an Indian, at a strike rate of 206.55 in seven innings this season.