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3 min readMar 18, 2026 06:30 PM IST
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson could soon become opening partners for CSK in the IPL 2026 season. (Sportzpics)
Sanju Samson’s high-profile signing with Chennai Super Kings has got the fans of the five-time champions talking, but former India batter Mohammed Kaif said that the franchise will do best to keep the captaincy tag away from the India wicket-keeper for now.
Samson was involved in a mega trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction last December, with CSK swapping veteran Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran with the Rajasthan Royals for the Kerala batter’s services. Samson’s popularity has also soared with his Player of the Tournament exploits during India’s T20 World Cup earlier this win.
Emerging as the unlikely star of India’s campaign, midway through the season, Samson’s record-breaking exploits had him smash 321 runs in only five innings alongwith a record 24 sixes. Despite the wind blowing in Samson’s favour, Kaif said that CSK will not want to rush things with Samson and rather persist with Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain.
“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 touted to play a central figure in the top-order while also taking over the mantle of the wicket-keeping gloves from the legendary MS Dhoni. Kaif added that the franchise could take a call over the 31-year-old Samson’s elevation over the next few seasons.
“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 will likely make his CSK debut during their campaign opener against his former team, Rajasthan, at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.
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