CSK Warned As Sanju Samson Not Right For Captaincy, Gaikwad To Lead In IPL 2026

Sanju Samson to join CSK in IPL 2026 [Source: @CricHitmanThala/x]

Sanju Samson will be joining the CSK franchise for the upcoming IPL 2026 edition after spending eight straight IPL seasons with the Rajasthan Royals. Samson even spent his final five seasons with the Royals as their captain, leading the franchise in five successive editions from 2021 till 2025 before getting traded in by the CSK in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja.

Even though the experienced wicketkeeper-batter held an elite captaincy experience with his previous franchise, the CSK team management has been warned of appointing him as captain for IPL 2026. As reckoned by former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, the CSK franchise has also been urged to continue with comeback man Ruturaj Gaikwad as skipper after he missed a major part of the IPL 2025 season last year owing to an injury.

Kaif says making Sanju Samson CSK captain will be a “mistake”

Mohammad Kaif is of the opinion that making Sanju Samson as CSK captain on his debut season with them will be a “mistake” on part of the team management. The former cricketer added that since Samson is new to the franchise, one should not put additional responsibilities on him straightaway.

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While speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said “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.”

Mohammad Kaif also believes that the franchise should allow Sanju Samson to settle in with CSK before letting him step into the captaincy shoes once helmed by MS Dhoni before Ruturaj Gaikwad. He added “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 further stated that Samson is yet to fully understand the dynamics of CSK players and expectations of the franchise. He said “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.”

Sanju Samson’s captaincy record in IPL

Sanju Samson was first appointed as Rajasthan Royals captain back during the 2021 edition of the IPL. Under his leadership, the franchise reached the final of the following season in 2022, before losing to Gujarat Titans on the big day.

Overall, Samson led the Royals to 33 wins and 33 defeats in 67 matches, which included one no-result.

Samson to enter IPL 2026 on a trail of a prolific T20 World Cup

Sanju Samson recently won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Making 321 runs in just five innings of the competition, the blistering wicketkeeper-batter played a crucial role in India’s successful title-defense at home.

He plundered three successive 80-plus scores towards the business end of the tournament, which included a match-winning 46-ball 89 against New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

The 31-year-old will now be seen gracing the CSK colours for the first time in his competitive playing career. As per the IPL 2026 schedule as released earlier this month, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK franchise will play its first match of the season on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.

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