No traction on Sundar and Rahul trades despite early chatter

The two most talked-about IPL trade rumours - Washington Sundar to Chennai Super Kings and KL Rahul to Kolkata Knight Riders - are non-starters. Cricbuzz can confirm that Sundar going home to Chennai has been decisively ruled out, while Rahul's potential move to Kolkata appears highly unlikely, even if it is not dead altogether.

The 'Sundar-to-CSK' possibility was first floated on a YouTube channel a few weeks ago, and it was not totally unfounded at that stage as Chennai Super Kings are believed to have explored the idea of having the India all-rounder in their side, particularly after R Aswhin moved away. However, Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra refused to entertain the thought of trading the Tamil Nadu player.

It is understood that Nehra's decision was conveyed to Chennai Super Kings long before Sundar's whirlwind unbeaten 49 against Australia in Hobart on Sunday. The Gujarat Titans management had made it clear long ago that they have no intention of parting with a player they have invested heavily in.

Sundar was bought by Gujarat Titans for Rs 3.2 crore at the last mega auction in Jeddah, and since then, his career graph has seen a meteoric rise. Although he featured in only six IPL games last season, Sundar has since become an all-format regular for India.

As for Rahul, it was always an open-and-shut case from the beginning, with no likelihood of revisiting it. However, it entered the realm of possibility after reports surfaced of Sanju Samson's potential trade to Delhi Capitals in exchange for Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi. Rahul and Samson are like-for-like players - both wicketkeeper-batters, captaincy materials, and wannabe openers (though neither currently opens for their franchises) - and it naturally led to speculation.

The Knight Riders are known to be in lookout for a top-tier Indian wicketkeeper-batter who can also lead the side. Both Samson and Rahul fit that job profile, and preliminary discussions are believed to have taken place over both players. However, the Knight Riders are unwilling to part with any of their premium assets - be it Rinku Singh or Varun Chakaravarthy - in exchange for either Samson or Rahul. In that context, Rahul's move to Kolkata appears unlikely, even if Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals were to successfully pull off the Samson trade.

There is a stark contrast between the situations of Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals. RR may find themselves in a bind over Samson, with the player having made it clear to the management that he wants to move on and shift focus elsewhere. DC, however, are under no such compulsion. While the Capitals management is open to the idea, they are willing to consider a trade only in exchange for a frontline player - something that is not on the table at this stage. "Why would we release our marquee player?" asks a DC source.

The caveat here is that the players have little say in the matter - whether the franchises choose to trade or not to trade them.