IPL 2026: 'KKR can release Venkatesh Iyer to sign Sanju Samson' - Aakash Chopra
"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," said Chopra.
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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has suggested that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might be the most eager to sign Sanju Samson if the Rajasthan Royals (RR) decide to release him. He highlighted that KKR needs an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and a potential captain, and could free up the necessary budget by releasing Venkatesh Iyer.
As per reports, Samson has requested RR to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The three-time champions lacked a recognized Indian wicketkeeper-batter in IPL 2025, relying instead on Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to fill the role, after they had let go Phil Salt to Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the season.
"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 said in his YouTube Channel.
"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.
Sanju Samson requests Rajasthan Royals to release him
Chopra also questioned why Samson would want to leave the Rajasthan-based franchise, noting that Jos Buttler was released before the IPL 2025 auction to make room for Samson as RR’s 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," Chopra said.
Samson may leave RR due to Suryavanshi’s rise: Chopra
For the unversed, Samson has represented RR since his IPL debut in 2013, and the two years he didn't play for the side was when they were banned in 2016 and 2017. Chopra, however, is of the belief that the emergence of Vaibhav Suryavanshi as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner may have prompted 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 concluded.
The Jaipur-based franchise is not willing to trade Samson in an all-cash deal, though, and are looking for like-for-like replacements for the trade-off, if the reports are to be believed.