Rajasthan Royals (RR) traded their captain, Sanju Samson, to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction.
They received Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in return, the former of which started his journey with this franchise. However, just like Curran, Samson will debut with a new team in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
While the tournament is still far out, CSK has revealed what number the Indian wicket keeper-batsman will boast at the back of his jersey with a short clip on X.
Sanju Samson To Continue With No. 11 in IPL
Winner of the trend! 💛🦁#WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/7uWO82Miks
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) November 25, 2025
Sanju Samson will continue with No. 11 on his back in the IPL, the same jersey number as his RR shirt with the CSK next year.
This is different from his number with India, as he is seen sporting No. 9 with the national side in T20Is, as well as in One Day Internationals (ODIs) whenever he does.
While any doubts regarding Samson’s shirt number have been cleared, it remains to be seen how CSK will use him, since MS Dhoni, the franchise’s undisputed wicket keeper batsman will also be playing in IPL 2026.
Interestingly, R Ashwin, former Indian spinner and CSK veteran, recently suggested in an interview that the 5-time champions might hand the former RR skipper their gloves to keep wickets, and only have Dhoni play as a pure batsman via the Impact Player rule.
This could be an effective way to utilize the two talents, but how exactly they go about it remains to be seen.
It should also be noted that Sanju Samson will not lead CSK in IPL 2026, since the franchise has seemingly confirmed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s continuation in the role with a post shortly after the player retentions were announced.
