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Sanju Samson’s move to Chennai Super Kings has caught a lot of attention, but former India batter Mohammad Kaif feels the franchise should not rush into giving him the captaincy.
Samson joined CSK in a big trade ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, with the team swapping Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran with the Rajasthan Royals. His reputation has also grown after his strong performances in India’s T20 World Cup win earlier this year.
Why CSK should stick to Ruturaj Gaikwad?
He was one of the standout players in the tournament, scoring 321 runs in just five innings and hitting 24 sixes. Even with this form, Kaif believes CSK should stick with Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain for now and give Samson time to settle in.
“I don’t think CSK will make the mistake of giving Sanju Samson the captaincy right now, because he has just joined. You can’t expect him to do everything at once, bat and win matches, keep wickets, and also captain the side. You don’t want to put that entire burden on him. The plan is to slowly let him grow into the role and eventually step into Dhoni’s shoes. That’s the long-term vision,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Samson is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties from MS Dhoni
Samson is expected to play an important role in the team’s top order and also take over wicketkeeping duties from MS Dhoni. Kaif added that the franchise is likely to take a long-term view before handing him more responsibility.
“So there won’t be too many changes there. If responsibility has been given to Gaikwad, they won’t rush things. They will back him, and I feel that giving the captaincy to Sanju right now would be the wrong decision. I’ll explain the reason. The reason is that Sanju still doesn’t fully understand Chennai’s culture. He doesn’t yet know the expectations of Chennai’s fans or the dynamics of the players,” said Kaif.
Samson is likely to make his CSK debut in their opening match of IPL 2026 against his former team Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.
CSK's IPL 2026 schedule
| Date | Day | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/03/26 | Mon | Rajasthan Royals vs. Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati |
| 03/04/26 | Fri | Chennai Super Kings vs. Punjab Kings | Chennai |
| 05/04/26 | Sun | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru |
| 11/04/26 | Sat | Chennai Super Kings vs. Delhi Capitals | Chennai |
CSK squad for IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad(C), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew William Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
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