IPL 2026: Why Samson's Exit Is A 'Massive Loss' For Rajasthan Royals

Faf du Plessis says Sanju Samson’s move to CSK is a huge loss for Rajasthan Royals, calling him the franchise’s identity ahead of IPL 2026.

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has weighed in on Sanju Samson’s exit from Rajasthan Royals, calling it a significant moment for the franchise ahead of IPL 2026.

Samson, who had been synonymous with the Royals for over a decade, was traded to Chennai Super Kings and will turn out in yellow this season. In exchange, Rajasthan acquired Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja from Chennai.

Speaking on JioHotstar, du Plessis underlined Samson’s stature within the Royals set-up, saying his influence went beyond performances on the field.

'If you look at the IPL's iconic teams, each has had a marquee Indian player who becomes the face of the franchise, like Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli. For me, Sanju Samson was that player for Rajasthan Royals,' du Plessis said.

'He became the identity of that franchise. When you think of Rajasthan Royals, you think of Sanju Samson. Losing that face is massive -- for the fans and the tournament -- because of the role he played there,' he added.

He said Samson's departure would place added responsibility on Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had the freedom to play his natural game alongside the former RR skipper.

'The thing with Yashasvi Jaiswal is that he's had Sanju Samson, who has been such a huge, consistent performer within that batting line-up. When you have that consistency of runs from Sanju, it allows you to play your game,' du Plessis said.

'Now, you take that away, all of a sudden, people will look at him with more responsibility. For a player like him, you don't want him thinking about responsibility. You want him thinking, 'I want to take the game on. I want to hit as many sixes as possible'.'

'There's a learning curve that's going to come into his career this season, 'Am I true to the game that I've always played, or do I take up the senior player role to score the bulk of the runs?' So it'll be interesting to see how that goes. I think he'll still play in the way that he does. It would be silly not to, because he's such an attacking player.'

Rajasthan Royals have new captain in Riyan Parag

The Royals, now led by Riyan Parag, will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on March 30.

They next face Gujarat Titans on April 4 in Ahmedabad, followed by matches against Mumbai Indians on April 7 and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10.