Former CSK star Robin Uthappa has given a one-stop solution to Chennai Super Kings to acquire the likes of Sanju Samson by trading off the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Vijay Shankar.
The Chennai Super Kings have cited Sanju Samson as the probable replacement for the upcoming season, as he targets them in the trade window. Samson’s exit from the Rajasthan Royals deck was marked after some disagreement with the RR management.
Former CSK veteran Uthappa has stepped up and suggested that Sanju Samson could be the solution to several problems currently plaguing the CSK side, as they have had two of their most humbling seasons.
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Uthappa gives insights on why Samson’s exit from RR was imminent
After the treatment Sanju Samson received at the RR camp last season, it seemed imminent that he was in some disagreement with the new management. Samson was one of the most successful RR skippers, having led them to a final back in 2022.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Uthappa mentioned that Rajasthan Royals already have a set of promising players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Riyan Parag. After all these players, the Royals do not have any option other than pushing Samson down to No. 4 in the order.
“They have both Yashasvi, who has done really well for them, and Suryavanshi, who has absolutely smacked it out of the park, and Riyan Parag likes to bat at number three. Where does that leave Sanju Samson? A number four spot.”
“Would I want to bat at number four when I am opening for India? Absolutely not. From his perspective, he probably felt that perhaps that won’t change at RR, and they back their youngsters quite a bit, don’t they?” Uthappa said from Samson’s perspective.
He also highlighted how RR has supported young players and promoted their game over the years, which suggests that Samson would be offered a new role to back Suryavanshi as the front-running opening choice.
“That has been the culture there at RR. So he probably sees it as a writing on the wall, perhaps, and so perhaps, he’s trying to get a little bit ahead of the curve a little bit and say, ‘let me move now’ so that I can go elsewhere and open the batting and still vie for that position at the top of the order in the Indian team. So that’s perhaps a small reasoning as well,” concluded Uthappa.
Ravi Ashwin cannot be traded in exchange for Samson
Media reports had suggested Sanju Samson might be eyeing a probable move to CSK, while CSK had also shown interest in acquiring the services of the batter, but for that, they would need a large amount of revenue, since Samson’s current valuation is INR 18 Crores.
Recently, there were speculations about Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian spinner, being traded in exchange for Sanju Samson; however, Ashwin later clarified that this would not be a suitable deal since the spinner is priced at half that of Samson’s value.
Robin Uthappa mentions Sanju Samson as CSK’s one-stop solution
CSK have been facing some major challenges over the last few seasons with the unavailability of a seasoned opening batsman, a younger and fitter wicket-keeper, and a new backup for future captaincy roles.
However, as per the latest revelations, CSK have confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to lead CSK after he makes his return from injury. Uthappa has since suggested that CSK might bring in Sanju in exchange for both Ashwin and Vijay Shankar tagged along.
“CSK for sure. If they are able to get him and if they are able to snap him up, then it’ll do really well for him. I think the transition of MS Dhoni to the next wicketkeeper, who they already have in Sanju, so that is already taken care of.”
“Otherwise, they would have to look at, say, at this point, say Devon Conway as a wicketkeeping option. But if he comes on board, there is a lot of good that can happen for CSK,” he said.
Uthappa added further, “What they don’t have? They only have Shimron Hetmyer at six. They don’t have a finisher at number six or seven. Maybe Sam Curran. Vijay Shankar could be the one who goes with Ashwin as well. That could happen. He’s a pretty decent bowler, but they haven’t utilised him.”
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