former south african cricketer Fife du Plessis Already weighed rajasthan royals” decided to part ways with their long-time star and face of the franchise, Sanzhou Samsonahead of IPL 2026. Samson, who played 11 seasons with the Royals and more than a decade, has been traded to the five-time champions chennai super kings and will wear the yellow jersey next season.In return, Rajasthan Royals get England all-rounder Sam Curran and veterans Ravindra Jadeja from CSK. Du Plessis, in an interview with JioHotstar, highlighted the importance of Samson not only as a player but also as the go-to guy for Royals in the IPL.“If you look at the IPL, the iconic teams have had an Indian player who defined the franchise – Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli. For me, that’s Sanju Samson of Rajasthan Royals,” Du Plessis said.He added, “Yes, he comes from a new generation but he has become the face of the franchise. Losing him is a big thing for the fans, the IPL and the tournament itself because he played such a crucial role there.”Du Plessis also highlighted how Samson’s exit would shift more responsibility to Yashasvi JaiswalThey have previously benefited greatly from having an experienced and consistent player like Samson in their squad.“With Sanju Samson’s consistent performances over the years, Yashasvi is free to play and express his natural game,” Du Plessis explained. “Now, with that support gone, more responsibility will fall on him. For a young player, you don’t want that weight to hang over his mentality. He should be thinking, ‘I want to keep playing. I want to hit as many sixes as possible.'”He added, “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 do most of the running. I’m sure he will continue to play an aggressive game because that’s who he is as a player. He would be foolish not to. “Samson’s contributions to the Royals were historic. In 155 T20 games, 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 top run-scorer but also the most capped player in the team’s history.Rajasthan Royals, now represented by Ryanparagwill kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Samson’s new team, Chennai Super Kings, on March 30 in Guwahati.
