The high-profile trade of Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson is on the verge of being formalised by all the parties, after mutual agreement to add Sam Curran to the deal.
This would mark the end of Jadeja's association with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), having won three Indian Premier League (IPL) titles with them. Samson, on the other hand, will leave RR after nearly a decade.
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The India international wicket-keeper batter spent a total of 10 years over stints with RR and guided them to the final of the competition in 2022 as captain of the side, although they failed to beat Gujarat Titans in the end.
Ahead of a new chapter in Samson's IPL career, former RR strength and conditioning coach Rajamani Prabhu, who also works as a personal training coach for the 31-year-old, has heaped praise on the Kerala-born cricketer.
READ: CSK retention list for IPL 2026 auction
"He's like a 2nd MS Dhoni" - Former RR coach on Sanju Samson
Rajamani Prabhu spoke highly of Samson's leadership, while comparing him to legendary former India captain MS Dhoni, with whom Samson will share the dressing room from IPL 2026.
Speaking to Sports Vikatan, Prabhu said: "RR had a poor IPL season in 2021. It was Sanju's first season as a captain. We used to be upset with how the team was playing, and one night, I told him, 'We should leave and join another big team, we'll do better there.'
But he said, 'I want to make this team bigger, it's my team, and I need your support.' I agreed to that. He had a vision and we started planning for the next season. We brought in big players like Chahal, Ashwin, and Prasidh Krishna. We even reached the IPL final the next year! That's the kind of leader he is – he's like a 2nd MS Dhoni to me."
RELATED LINKS:
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