CSK’s decision to overhaul its core has triggered one of the most significant trades in recent IPL history, with Sanju Samson moving to Chennai for Rs. 18 crore and Ravindra Jadeja returning to Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 14 crore. The swap comes after two bleak seasons for CSK, a period in which the five-time champion failed to reach the Playoffs and repeatedly ran into the same flaws: an ageing middle order, limited hitting power and an overreliance on a shrinking spin group.
Samson’s arrival directly addresses the first two issues, but it is worth asking whether one player can fully solve a structural problem that has been building for two years. His track record suggests impact. Across 11 seasons with RR, Samson amassed 4027 runs, led the franchise to a final in 2022 and produced a career-best 531 runs in 2024. His release request after IPL 2025 made a move inevitable, and CSK, still searching for post-Dhoni identity and batting dynamism, became the most natural landing spot.
Letting go of Jadeja, though, creates a different kind of problem. CSK has depended on its spinners for over a decade, and Jadeja was central to that philosophy: 143 wickets, three title-winning campaigns, and match-winning moments including his heist with the bat in the 2023 final. Even with Noor Ahmad’s emergence and Shreyas Gopal’s presence, the gap left behind is substantial. CSK will now enter the mini auction scrambling for a top Indian spinner who can bat, a scarce commodity.
For RR, Jadeja’s homecoming is both emotional and strategic. Its collapse in the second half of IPL 2025, worsened by Samson’s injury, exposed a lack of experience and balance. Jadeja brings both, along with leadership depth and late-overs control.
Published on Nov 15, 2025
