The Sanju Samson trade drama has taken yet another turn. Although the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seem to have gained the upper hand in acquiring the Rajasthan Royals captain, it is now known that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) were also trying to get the wicketkeeper-batter. Besides the Delhi Capitals (DC) and CSK, PBKS allegedly submitted a substantial offer to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a three-way fight for Samson's services.
At first, PBKS made the news by buying Marcus Stoinis for INR 11 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, and now it turns out that the Australian all-rounder was the key to their trade proposal for Samson.
Ravichandran Ashwin reveals PBKS’ offer included Marcus Stoinis
Former PBKS and CSK spinner Ravichandran Ashwin disclosed the development, stating that Rajasthan’s trade demand was straightforward — they wanted a finisher and a bowler in return for their captain. Ashwin revealed that Stoinis was among the key names discussed in the trade talks.
“I heard this murmur that it wasn’t just Delhi or Chennai in the race to get Sanju Samson via trade, but Rajasthan also got an offer from Punjab Kings. It was a very good offer. Rajasthan wanted a bowler and finisher combination, and I hear Marcus Stoinis might have been on the table,” Ashwin said on Ash ki Baat.
While Stoinis fit the role of a finisher, the identity of the bowler RR wanted remains unclear. Speculation suggests that names such as Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, or one of PBKS’ uncapped bowlers may have been discussed. However, the deal reportedly did not materialise, with PBKS unable to match RR’s valuation or CSK’s player package
CSK’s Jadeja-Curran package gives them the edge
On the other hand, CSK’s offer looks much better in comparison. It is said that the franchise is willing to let go of Ravindra Jadeja, so one of the names to be added in the trade would likely be Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana to make the offer more attractive. The total value of Jadeja (INR 16 crore) and Curran (INR 4.40 crore) is close to INR 20.40 crore while Samson’s value is INR 18 crore.
Even if Stoinis (INR 11 crore) was with Punjab Kings, they still would have needed to trade another player or a package worth close to INR 9 crore to be able to match the CSK’s offer — the difference was too great to be overcome.
It seems that Punjab’s bold move has not been successful, at least for now, as CSK is going all out to get Samson as a long-term successor to MS Dhoni.
