IPL 2026: CSK Plotting Major MS Dhoni Succession Plan With Sanju Samson?
Sanju Samson is very likely to make his debut for CSK when they face Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, while MS Dhoni has been ruled out for a couple of weeks.
- Cricket
- 2 min read
IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings will hope for a positive outcome when they open their IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati. CSK finished at the bottom of the IPL 2025 table, and the five-time champions will have a lot to ponder in this fresh new campaign. Sanju Samson is expected to make his CSK debut, while MS Dhoni has been ruled out for at least two weeks.
CSK Planning Big MS Dhoni Succession Plan With Sanju Samson?
CSK's priority will be to nail down a perfect combination in IPL 2026, which will help them plug their loopholes, which were pretty evident last season. Samson joined CSK as part of a trade deal with the Rajasthan Royals, and his recent form has sparked a major uplift for MS Dhoni's side.
Samson was in complete sync for India in the T20 World Cup and was also adjudged the player of the tournament by hitting three successive fifties. There has been a strong buzz that Samson's potential arrival is being seen as a long succession plan in a bid for a smooth transition after Dhoni's retirement and CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan further teased this topic.
He said, “As far as Sanju is concerned, we don’t want to put any pressure on him because we know his capabilities. I have not spent much time talking to Sanju, as I met him only a couple of days back, and during practice, I would never go and disturb him. I’m very confident that Sanju, with his abilities and his form, will be a great bet for us."
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Dhoni's retirement has been the subject of severe scrutiny, but CSK retained him ahead of IPL 2026, ending all the burning questions. It remains to be seen how the 44-year-old adapts to the current CSK system if Samson continues to keep behind the wickets.
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CSK Squad For IPL 2026
Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Akeal Hosein, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry.