(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Managing Director Kasi Viswanathan has explained reasons for team's decision to trade Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in exchange for Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026 season, in what comes as one of the most high-profile trades in the Indian Premier League history. The move surprised many fans given Jadeja's long association as one of CSK's key match-winners. Jadeja and Curran will join RR in exchange for Samson moving to CSK. Samson, retained by RR for Rs 18 crore, will now represent CSK at the same price. Jadeja, also retained for INR 18 crore, will see his value adjusted to Rs 14 crore following the trade, while Curran remains at his existing fee of Rs 2.4 crore.

CSK's need for a top-order Indian batsman

Viswanathan explained that the trade for Samson was driven by the team's need for a top-order Indian batter. He acknowledged that leaving Jadeja, a key contributor to CSK's success, was one of the toughest decisions the franchise has had to make. "As a franchise, you might know that over the years, we have not used the path of trading, except for one year when we got Robin Uthappa. The team management felt the need of a top order Indian batsman. And, since not many Indian batsmen are going to be available at the auction, we thought that the best way to get an Indian top order batsman will be to go through the trade window and hence we have to take this call," said Viswanathan as per the official statement on the Chennai Super Kings website. "And, this decision has been taken by the team management and, it is a very tough decision leaving out Jadeja, who has been responsible for the success of CSK over the years. It was probably one of the toughest decisions that CSK had to take."

Player consent and rebuilding strategy

He stated that the trade was made with the players' consent, noting that Jadeja, approaching the latter stage of his white-ball career, agreed to the move. He noted that the team aims to rebuild with younger talent over the next few years, as the mini-auction limits opportunities to acquire top Indian batters or an all-rounder of Jadeja's calibre. "It is a must that we should consult with the players concerned. And it was after mutual agreement that we undertook this. When I spoke to Jadeja, he was also very clear, he also felt that he is at the fag end of his career in white ball. So, he also felt that he can have a break. We have certain players who are at the fag end of their career and it is very important for CSK to build a team in the next couple of years. And since this is a mini auction, we don't have the opportunity to get the best of the Indian batsmen and to get an all-rounder of the calibre of Jaddu (Jadeja) is also going to be a very difficult task, but we are only hoping that we will be able to get some youngsters who can fill in the gap," added the CSK MD.

Samson's experience a strategic move

Viswanathan further said that bringing in an experienced batter in Samson, who has over 4,500 IPL runs and leadership experience, was seen as a strategic move to strengthen the team for the future. "Sam Curran was with us in (IPL) 2020, 2021 and 2025. He has been a consistent performer for us. Leaving out Sam (Curran) as well as Jaddu (Jadeja) was one of the toughest calls. See Sanju has been one of the most experienced IPL batsmen, having scored more than 4500 runs. And he has also been leading Rajasthan Royals. He has the experience and he is only around 30 years old. So, we thought that he will be a good addition for CSK to take care of the future. Emotionally the fans will be very upset because I have already got a lot of messages from the fans. But taking into account the current status of the team composition, the think tank of the CSK cricket management felt the need for change and I'm sure that in the years to come, CSK will be maintaining the same kind of consistency and perform well," concluded Viswanathan. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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