Former South African cricketer Faf du Plessis But what is the weight? Rajasthan Royals‘ The decision to part ways with its longtime star and face of the franchise, Sanju SamsonBefore IPL 2026. Samson, who represented the Royals for more than a decade in 11 seasons, is a five-time champion. Chennai Super Kings And will wear the yellow jersey in the upcoming season.In return, Rajasthan Royals got the England all-rounder. Sam Curran And experienced Ravindra Jadeja Speaking to JioHotstar from CSK, du Plessis emphasized Samson’s importance not only as a player but also as the central figure of the Royals’ identity in the IPL.“Looking at the IPL, popular franchises have only one Indian player who defines the team – Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli. For me, it was Sanju Samson at Rajasthan Royals,” du Plessis said.He added, “Yes, he is from a new generation, but he has become the face of the franchise. Losing him is a huge deal — for the fans, the IPL, and the tournament itself — because he has played such an important role there.”Du Plessis also highlighted how Samson’s exit would shift additional responsibility. Yeshsavi Jaiswalwhich previously benefited from having a veteran and consistent performer like Samson in the lineup.“With Sanju Samson giving such consistent runs over the years, Yashasvi could play freely and express his natural game,” du Plessis explained. “Now, with that support gone, there’s going to be more responsibility on him. For a young player, you don’t want that weight clouding his mentality. He has to think, ‘I want to move the game. I want to hit as many sixes as possible.’“This season will be a learning curve for him – figuring out whether he sticks to his natural attacking style or steps into a senior role to score more runs. I’m sure he will continue to play aggressively, because that’s who he is as a player,” he added. It would be foolish for him to do otherwise.”Samson’s contributions to the Royals are historic. In 155 T20 matches, he scored 4,219 runs at an average of 31.96 and a strike rate of 140.53, making him not only the team’s highest run-scorer but also the most-capped player in franchise history.Rajasthan Royals, now led by Ryan PragueSamson’s new team will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on March 30.
