IPL 13: I am surprised Samson is not playing in all formats for India, says Shane Warne

Rajasthan United FC step onto the pitch at the Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, eager to bounce back in front of their home supporters. The Jaipur-based outfit are looking to recover from a 1-3 away defeat to Aizawl FC in the last round.

Since joining KKR in 2024, during which he was a part of the team that sealed their third IPL trophy, Ramandeep has contributed 172 runs at an impressive strike rate of 167.9, with 6 wickets already to his name. More recently, Ramandeep lit up the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 209 runs at a strike rate of 195 and 9 wickets across 10 matches, and he looks primed for his best season yet in Purple and Gold

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2026, in one of the biggest trades in the tournament's history, Samson was traded from RR to CSK and will don the yellow colours at the price of Rs 18 crores. In turn, Sam Curran and seasoned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were traded to the inaugural champions. While Jadeja's price will go down from Rs 18 crores (at CSK) to Rs 14 crores, Curran will continue receiving his existing fee of Rs 2.4 crores.

The wicketkeeper-batter was adjudged Player of the Tournament for his consistent performance, where he amassed 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, hitting 27 fours and 24 sixes and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the T20 WC.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Gambhir said he backed Sanju Samson because he believed the batter has a lot to offer the team, adding that a lean patch is temporary and referring to his struggles with the bat during the New Zealand series before the T20 World Cup.