Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has doused the speculation surrounding Sanju Samson’s rumored move to the Chennai Super Kings as a highly unlikely prospect. According to Ashwin, the Rajasthan Royals will not get a player of the same value to take the India wicketkeeper-batter’s place if such an exchange happens.
According to multiple reports, Samson had expressed his wish to leave Rajasthan Royals and has asked for a release or a trade. The organization then pursued several teams in pursuit of a trade, with the Chennai Super Kings being the leading name in consideration after initially expressing interest.
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An Indian Express report also claimed that Samson even spoke with CSK head coach Stephen Fleming and the team management during the United States Major League Cricket season. The Chennai franchise was said to be interested in getting Samson through a cash transaction-based trade. However, negotiations reached a stalemate as soon as they began.
Talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin emphasized that such a development would be one-sided for Rajasthan. Taking the example of Ravi Bishnoi, he said that a side that lets go of a star player to get Samson would also have to make sure they have enough money in their purse to keep him, hence the logistics are tricky. He also mentioned that CSK are not habitual traders and are not going to let out significant names like Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube.
“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. For example, if RR want a spinner like Ravi Bishnoi and approach 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,” Ashwin said.
“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,” he added.
A Cricbuzz story on Wednesday stated that RR owner Manoj Badale had made a bid to CSK for an exchange of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, or Shivam Dube. But the five-time Indian Premier League champions have reportedly refused to let go of any of them, stalling Samson’s highly-acclaimed switch from Jaipur to Chennai.
