India’s spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin gave a humorous take on the recent buzz around IPL trade deals. In a lighthearted chat with Sanju Samson, whose association with Rajasthan Royals (RR) has been under speculation in recent days, Ashwin quipped that he was ready to trade himself.
According to a Cricbuzz report, Samson is reportedly displeased with the RR management and has asked the franchise to either trade him or let him go. Meanwhile, another report suggests that Ashwin and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might be parting ways, with the veteran spinner set to step down from his position as Director of Operations at the CSK Academy.
Responding to the spreading IPL rumors, Ashwin playfully tells Samson in a teaser for the upcoming episode of Kutti Stories with Ash:
“I have a lot of questions to ask. But before that, I thought I’ll come directly and trade myself. I am happy to stay back in Kerala. There are a lot of rumors going on. Neither do I know of anything. So, I thought I’ll reach out to you and ask you. If I can stay back in Kerala and you can travel back to Chennai.”
CSK bought Ravichandran Ashwin for ₹9.75 crore in IPL 2025, but he managed only seven wickets in nine games. Reports suggest the franchise is eyeing Samson for IPL 2026.
Ex-India Opener Suggests Ashwin-Samson Trade For IPL 2026
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would benefit more from having Sanju Samson than Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, he suggested that CSK could also target the wicketkeeper-batter by trading R Ashwin to the Rajasthan Royals. Sharing his views on his YouTube channel, he stated:
“They could look at a possible trade, maybe send R Ashwin back to Rajasthan, who need a spinner. He’s played there before and could fill a gap. So that’s not out of the question either.”
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