The spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the trade deal between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) may not come to completion due to several factors.

Ahead of the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), several reports have claimed that Sanju Samson is keen to be released or traded ahead of the upcoming IPL season.

Despite CSK expressing interest in adding Sanju Samson, Ashwin said that the trade might not be fruitful as the Rajasthan Royals are unlikely to get valuable players in return.

“Why the CSK-RR trade won’t work is because if Sanju is traded to CSK, and RR then try to trade with other teams, they’re unlikely to get valuable players in return,” said Ashwin.

“For example, if RR want a spinner like Ravi Bishnoi and approaches LSG, the problem is that if LSG acquire Sanju and give away Bishnoi, they also have to manage the remaining purse required to retain Sanju — which becomes LSG’s responsibility,” added the CSK spinner.

“CSK generally don’t believe in trading. They aren’t going to trade players like Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. So, in all likelihood, Sanju coming to CSK is bleak, for the reasons I’ve explained. RR don’t have much to gain from this kind of trade,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Sanju Samson started his IPL career at Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 but didn’t get to play a singly match.

He was bought by Rajasthan Royals in the auction next year and went on to make his IPL debut. After playing for RR til 2015, he was brought by Delhi Daredevils for 2016 and 2017 seasons.

He again returned to Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and even led them to their second final in 2022, but ended up on the losing side.

Sanju Samson has been an integral part of RR for a number of seasons. It remains to be seen if he decided to stay with the team for 2026 or makes a shift to another franchise.