Sanju Samson and his fans will never forget the start of the 2026 season. The season began with Samson struggling for form and looking a pale shadow of his robust self. After the selectors axed Shubman Gil, it seemed that Samson and Abhishek Sharma were going to open for India at the marquee tournament. But the New Zealand series changed the equation.
After being asked to drop down in the batting order earlier, to make way for Gill, Samson was again back as opener in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home.
However, after a couple of failures initially, Samson started playing for his position. It was hard to blame him as he faced direct competition from fellow wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan.
Ishan made his comeback into the Indian team after grinding it out in the domestic circuit. He brought the same fearlessness with him to the international stage and played a couple of match-winning knocks.
As Ishan flourished, Samson felt the heat, and he couldn’t utilise the opportunities across all five games. Consequently, he lost his spot in the playing XI to Ishan as India began their T20 World Cup defence.
However, luck smiled at Samson as he was allowed to open against West Indies in the Super Eight stage. Samson grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring an unbeaten 97 and taking India over the line.
He backed it up with two remarkable performances in the semis and the final to help India lift the title, for the second time in a row.
IPL 2026 has also marked the start of a new chapter for Samson. The 31-year-old has been traded to CSK by Rajsthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
Samson is getting paid INR 18 crore for the 2026 season. He comes at CSK with a lot of leadership experience. Samson holds the record for winning the most games for Rajasthan as captain. CSK would benefit greatly from his leadership experie
Also Check: Virat Kohli IPL Salary
| Year | Team | Price |
| 2026 | CSK | 18.00 Cr |
| 2025 | RR | 18.00 Cr |
| 2024 | RR | 14.00 Cr |
| 2023 | RR | 14.00 Cr |
| 2022 | RR | 14.00 Cr |
| 2021 | RR | 8.00 Cr |
| 2020 | RR | 8.00 Cr |
| 2019 | RR | 8.00 Cr |
| 2018 | RR | 8.00 Cr |
| 2017 | DD | 4.20 Cr |
| 2016 | DD | 4.20 Cr |
| 2015 | RR | 5.50 Cr |
| 2014 | RR | 5.50 Cr |
| 2013 | RR | 10.00 L |
| 2012 | KKR | 8.00 L |
| Total | 129.58 Cr | |
Please note that this is based on officially available data, exact figures may vary.
