Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson's trade tale has taken a new turn. RR are now in final talks to trade Samson to a different franchise, following a report in The Telegraph. Though initial speculation had him strongly being considered for a switch to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), discussions with the latter have now come to a halt, according to reports. RR in Final Talks With KKR for Samson Rather, RR are reported to be in last-stage talks with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It is stated that Samson has formally requested to be released by RR due to "serious differences" with the management of the team. Samson was retained by RR for ₹18 crore prior to the 2025 mega auction but is said to be no longer interested in remaining. This has prompted RR to consider trade, and KKR seems to be the most probable destination. According to sources, RR has already presented KKR with a list of the players they wish to receive in exchange. A trade would be finalized shortly, but the deal will not include KKR stars Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, as they will stay with the team. Also Read | 3 Teams That Could Target Sanju Samson in IPL 2026 Trade After CSK Pulls Out Sources in The Telegraph informed: "The Royals have been looking for a quality spinner, but the question of KKR trading Sunil Narine or Varun Chakravarthy for Samson doesn’t arise." As per the same report, KKR would be willing to trade Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Ramandeep Singh in return. If the two teams fail to reach an agreement over a player exchange, the transaction would be conducted as an all-cash transaction. RR are in search of enhancing their middle order for the upcoming season of the IPL. Both Teams Looking to Bounce Back Both RR and KKR performed poorly in IPL 2025. RR ended ninth with only four victories from 14 games, both while batting and bowling. The one bright spot for RR was the emergence of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who impressed as an opener. KKR, under Ajinkya Rahane, ended on eighth position with five victories. They need a new Indian wicketkeeper-batter and a likely captain. Both roles may suit Samson. Kumar Sangakkara is also being considered by the franchise as the new head coach after they parted company with Chandrakant Pandit. CSK had earlier expressed interest in Samson but were not prepared to offer Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, or Shivam Dube in return. CSK is not known for trading players, and that course of action appears about to continue.