'Good Option': Aakash Chopra Gives Verdict on Possibility of Sanju Samson Replacing MS Dhoni at CSK in IPL 2026

IPL 2026: MS Dhoni is 43 and he has not officially retired from the Indian Premier League. Dhoni happens to be one of the few players who have been playing the cash-rich league since it's inception. But now, there are talks that Chennai Super Kings are already looking for his replacement. And a report on Cricbuzz also claims that Chennai are interested in Sanju Samson. 

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So, will Samson be lapped up by CSK ahead of IPL 2026? While backroom talks must be happening, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra gave his two cents on the rumour. 

‘So he could be a very good option’

"Sanju Samson to CSK, is that actually a possibility? Will that happen? Reports have come, but you will eagerly wait to hear what RR say. A CSK official has said that they are interested and keen, and that it would be great if they get him because he is a keeper-batter, and they have to look beyond MS Dhoni. So he could be a very good option," Chopra said on his Youtube channel. 

Chopra admitted that Samson was not one of his initial choices as Dhoni replacement. He revealed he was looking at Dhruv Jurel or Rishabh Pant to take over from the CSK captain. 

‘Had thought about Rishabh Pant’

"In my original choices, I had thought about Dhruv Jurel as well. I had thought about Rishabh Pant too. This team needs a wicketkeeper-batter, and that wicketkeeper-batter is not Urvil Patel. You need a keeper with a little more pedigree and experience, and a slightly bigger name, because if you have to carry MS Dhoni's legacy forward, you need that kind of a player," he added.

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For the unversed, there would be an auction before IPL 2026.