'Recover as fast as you bowl': Rajasthan Royals to Archer

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.

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.

India topped Group A with an unbeaten record, though they suffered a setback in the Super Eight stage, losing to South Africa by 76 runs. The Men in Blue bounced back in style, defeating West Indies in a virtual quarter-final, England in the semi-final, and ultimately New Zealand in the final.

Samson had a redemption story to remember, as he went from not being a part of the playing eleven in the start and having a frustratingly inconsistent form, he went on to play three of the most important innings of his career when it mattered the most, producing gems right from the virtual quarterfinal to the title clash against New Zealand. Tharoor also wished Samson for a new beginning in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a franchise he was traded to after years of association with Rajasthan Royals.

Sanju Samson's 89 off 46 balls helped India post a mammoth 254 in the first innings. He was the top scorer by anyone in the match. Notably, it was his third successive fifty and a match-defining innings from Samson's bat. He also scored an unbeaten 97 in a do-or-die Super 8s clash against West Indies and then scored 89 against England in the semifinals.