New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): Former South Africa cricketer shared his thoughts on the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) letting go of star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who was the face of the franchise for the last decade in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Samson, who had been the face of Rajasthan Royals for more than a decade, represented the franchise across 11 IPL seasons, but was traded to the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and will now don the yellow colours during the IPL 2026 edition.

In return, the inaugural champions, Roysls, got England all-rounder Sam Curran and veteran Ravindra Jadeja, who were traded from CSK.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Du Plessis highlighted Samson's role not just as a player but as a central figure for the team, underlining how his performances and leadership had made him a fan favourite and a key contributor to the Royals' identity in the IPL.

'If I look at the IPL and the teams, the iconic teams we see around the league, all of them have one marquee Indian player in common, someone who has been the face of the franchise for a period of time, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli. And Sanju Samson, for me, was that guy at Rajasthan Royals,' du Plessis said.

'Yes, he's of a newer generation, but he had become the face of that franchise. If I think of the Rajasthan Royals, I think Sanju Samson. So, the fact that they've lost that face, I think, is a massive thing for the fans, for the IPL, and for the tournament, because he's played such a big role there,' the former South Africa cricketer added.

With the schedule for the first phase of the IPL 2026 season announced, the Riyan Parag-led Royals are set to play their campaign opener against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati on March 30.

Then, the Rajasthan Royals are scheduled to play on April 4 against the Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Their third fixture will be against five-time champions Mumbai Indians on April 7, followed by their match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2026:

Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen. (ANI)