Sanju Samson's IPL Future As CSK Captain Decoded Amid Ruturaj Gaikwad Reign

Sanju Samson & Ruturaj Gaikwad in a collage (PC- afp.com)

With the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) set to begin on March 28, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are at the centre of the limelight. This time, it is because of MS Dhoni, but also due to the ongoing fan war on social media over Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson.

Gaikwad was named CSK's captain two seasons ago, but an unfortunate injury in the middle of IPL 2025 forced him to miss the latter half of the tournament. MS Dhoni filled in for the Maharashtra batter, but Chennai finished at the bottom of the table.

For IPL 2026, Ruturaj Gaikwad is back to lead CSK, while the franchise also traded Sanju Samson to the Rajasthan Royals, which was seen as an aggressive move. Now, with Samson helping India win the T20 World Cup, there's a buzz going around to hand over the CSK captaincy to the former RR skipper.

Aakash Chopra picks side in Sanju vs Ruturaj

Putting all arguments to rest, Aakash Chopra exclusively spoke to CREX whether Sanju Samson should have been handed CSK's captaincy in IPL 2026. The former India cricketer talked about the team environment of CSK while backing Ruturaj Gaikwad.

“CSK always have a plan for the future. After MS Dhoni, they picked Ruturaj Gaikwad as his successor. Now, after he was named the captain, they would continue with him," Aakash Chopra said on a CREX exclusive.

Chopra further backed CSK's decision by stating Sanju Samson joined CSK in a trade, and a team can't make such decision keeping a trade in it.

"See, Sanju Samson had an incredible run recently, plus he has captaincy experience in the IPL, but he came in a trade, and we never really know the nature of a trade. You can't make your future plans, especially regarding captaincy or a trade, based on a trade. It's a bad idea, and Chennai won't ever do that. So, I am not surprised that Ruturaj is still their captain. Moreover, Sanju has a strong fanbase, and he would score ample runs for them; then Chennai will make him their own. So, Ruturaj will be the captain, and that’s the right move in my opinion as well," Aakash Chopra concluded.

Sanju Samson vs Ruturaj Gaikwad in terms of numbers

Both Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad have experience of leading a side in the IPL. While Samson has captained in the IPL in 67 matches, winning 33 of them. While the CSK captain has just led them in 14 matches, with 7 wins in them.

Players	Wins (Matches)
Sanju Samson	33 (67)
Ruturaj Gaikwad	7 (7)

Interestingly, Samson is entering the season after winning the Player of the Series award during India's triumph at the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the final three matches, where he was asked to open, Samson scored 97, 89 and 89 runs, respectively.

Meanwhile, Ruturaj, too, was impressive in the domestic tournament, scoring 400+ runs in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Earlier in the season, he had hit a superb ODI ton against South Africa in Raipur.