With Sanju Samson clear on leaving the Rajasthan unit, both DC and RR have been locked in negotiations and many tradable options were discussed along the way. (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson and Tristan Stubbs are likely to be involved in the first big trade before the IPL auction later this year as both Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are getting close to finalising the deal. With Samson clear on leaving the Royals, both DC and RR have been locked in negotiations and many tradable options were discussed along the way. It is reliably learnt that DC are keen to have Samson on board but were not willing to trade any of their core players.KL Rahul’s name came up for discussions for the swap but DC were reluctant to let go of a player who had been their key performer last season and brings a lot of brand value. RR are happy with the idea of having Stubbs in their camp but it’s understood that they asked for another uncapped player alongside the South African. That, however, wasn’t entertained by the Capitals and there is a bright possibility of seeing Samson back in DC colours from the next IPL season.
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In the last few months, RR have had discussions with other franchises, too, regarding Samson and TimesofIndia.com can confirm an approach was made to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Ravindra Jadeja. RR wanted to swap Samson for Jadeja but the talks didn’t materialise after the initial interest. At this stage, Samson to DC and Stubbs to RR looks a strong possibility if there are no late hiccups from the two parties.KKR want KL Rahul but for whom?Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), meanwhile, continue to press for KL Rahul as they are desperate to have a captain and top-order bat in their ranks. The camaraderie between new head coach Abhishek Nayar and Rahul is not a secret, and even the top management of the franchise is eager to bring him on board. The big question, however, remains who goes the other way? As of now, KKR don’t seem to have a tradable asset which would excite the DC unit. There are strong murmurs of Andre Russell’s name as an option but DC want to invest in youth and players they can bank on for the next few years. The only tradable assets in the squad are Rinku Singh and Varun Chakravarthy, and it seems unlikely that they will let go of either of them.Venkatesh Iyer’s poor last season is unlikely to attract any serious takers and the all-rounder could well find himself back in the auction pool. KKR are one of the franchises which is likely to go hard for Cameron Green and releasing Iyer gives them the purse to do that. The KL Rahul situation continues to be delicately placed and if the DC-RR swap materialises, KKR could well pursue it with more intent.
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