Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's beloved cricketer Sanju Samson celebrates his 31st birthday today, and this year's celebration carries extra excitement. The Rajasthan Royals captain finds himself at the center of major IPL transfer discussions, with reports suggesting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are close to signing him.

According to Cricbuzz, Sanju's switch to CSK is all but confirmed, with only formalities left to complete. The Chennai franchise is reportedly set to trade all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to finalize the deal. The speculation gained momentum after CSK's official social media handle wished Sanju on his birthday, sparking fan frenzy across platforms.

A popular Indian cricket page on X (formerly Twitter) also revisited Sanju's milestone on his birthday, recalling his achievement as the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score a T20I century.

FIRST INDIAN WK BATTER TO SCORE TO HUNDRED IN T20I - Relive the Iconic Moment on his birthday, One & only Sanju Samson. twitter/yaBW8r7cpQ

- Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 11, 2025

Sanju made his international debut against Zimbabwe on July 9, 2015, and played his first ODI in 2021 against Sri Lanka. Despite a decade in international cricket, opportunities have been limited-he has featured in 51 T20Is and 16 ODIs.

Under Gautam Gambhir's tenure as coach, Sanju opened in the T20 side and became the first Indian to hit three T20 centuries in a calendar year, striking hundreds against Bangladesh and South Africa. However, his opening role was short-lived as Shubman Gill was recalled to the top order, pushing Sanju to the middle. In the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, he played a decisive innings alongside Tilak Varma to seal victory for India.

Limited game time

His limited game time continued during the T20 series against Australia, where he batted in only one match. With the T20 World Cup set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in three months, fans are eagerly waiting to see if Sanju will reclaim his place as an opener-especially after Gill's recent dip in form.

Having joined Rajasthan Royals as a teenager in 2013, Sanju quickly became one of the most consistent performers in the IPL. He won the Emerging Player award at 19, took charge as captain in 2021, and led Rajasthan to the final in 2022 and the playoffs in 2024. As the franchise's all-time leading run-scorer, his potential move to Chennai would mark a new chapter-possibly as the successor to MS Dhoni.

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