Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar reckons that wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson will bat at number three for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Samson is currently in the form of his life. The superstar batter's last cricketing outing came in the T20 World Cup 2026, where the Suryakumar Yadav-led side defeated New Zealand in the final to defend the title.
Sanju Samson's batting order in CSK
Notably, Samson joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in November 2025 before the mini auction, through a high-profile trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 season. In that exchange, five-time champions CSK traded veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and England's Sam Curran to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to acquire the star wicketkeeper-batter. In a chat on Star Sports, Bangar suggested that Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre should open the innings for CSK, with Samson following at No. 3.
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“Ruturaj Gaikwad should always bat at the top. Last year, they tried separating him and Devon Conway to avoid having all the best batters at the top, but it didn’t work out. Ruturaj has played his best cricket as an opener,” Bangar said.
“Ruturaj and Ayush can open together. I see Sanju Samson at No. 3, Dewald Brevis at No. 4, and either Shivam Dube or Kartik Sharma at No. 5. This team has a lot of strength in the batting lineup” added Bangar.
Bangar on CSK's bowling
Bangar also gave his thoughts on CSK’s bowling. He suggested that Rahul Chahar could regularly bowl spin alongside Noor Ahmad, forming a strong and balanced bowling unit for the team.
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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.