'Writing on the wall' - Robin Uthappa explains reason behind Sanju Samson's desire to exit RR

Published - 13 Aug 2025, 16:39 IST | Updated - 13 Aug 2025, 17:19 IST

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has provided his opinion on the possible reasons behind Sanju Samson's desire to move on from Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Multiple reports have suggested Samson wanting to part ways with RR.

Uthappa opined Samson would not have wanted to have conflicting batting positions while at RR (being pushed down to number 4 due to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Riyan Parag) and India's T20I setup (opening slot).

"They have both Yashasvi, who has done really well for them, and Suryavanshi has absolutely smacked it out of the park, and Riyan Parag likes to bat at number three. Where does that leave Sanju Samson? A number four spot. Would I want to bat at number four when I am opening for India? Absolutely not. From his perspective, he probably felt that perhaps that won't change at RR, and they back their youngsters, quite a bit, don't they?," stated Uthappa in a video on his YouTube channel.

Uthappa remarked Samson likely realised that it was RR's culture of backing youngsters would have sensed that he wouldn't be batting up top in the upcoming season.

"That has been the culture there at RR. So, he probably sees it as a writing on the wall, and so perhaps, he's trying to get a little bit ahead of the curve a little bit and say, 'let me move now' so that I can go elsewhere and open the batting and still vie for that position at the top of the order in the Indian team. So, that's perhaps a small reasoning as well," he added.

Parag is the reason behind Samson's RR exit: S Badrinath

Samson has been with RR since 2018. In the eight seasons spent with the 2008 winners, the 30-year-old has registered 3278 runs while striking at an impressive 147.02, including two centuries.