“Don’t think CSK will make the mistake of giving Sanju Samson the captaincy”

Mohammad Kaif, a former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player, has expressed that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will retain Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain, rather than appointing Sanju Samson, who is a new addition to the team. Kaif’s comments were made in anticipation of IPL 2026, set to commence on March 28.

During a discussion on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, March 17, Kaif emphasized that it would be unrealistic to expect Samson to shoulder all responsibilities immediately. He suggested that Samson will eventually fill MS Dhoni’s role, stating:

“But 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, 45, further elaborated that naming Samson as captain at this point would be misguided, as he is not yet familiar with Chennai’s culture, its fanbase, and team dynamics. He explained:

“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.”

Currently, Gaikwad has led CSK in 19 matches, achieving eight victories and facing 11 losses.

“Sanju will learn after spending a year or two here” – Mohammad Kaif’s remark on CSK’s future captaincy

In the same discussion, Mohammad Kaif pointed out that Ruturaj Gaikwad has been at the helm for CSK for a few years and has a good grasp of player management and the nuances of the Chennai pitch—knowledge that Sanju Samson will acquire after spending one or two years with the team. After this period, the franchise might consider appointing Samson as the new captain. He commented:

“Gaikwad has been leading for three to four years. He knows Nathan, like where to use him, when Noor should bowl, when to give him overs, what the batting order should be, and what to do on Chennai pitches after winning the toss. All these finer aspects of the game are things Sanju will learn after spending a year or two here. After that, if you want to hand over the command to him, you can.”

Samson brings extensive leadership experience, having captained Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 67 matches, with 33 wins, 33 losses, and one match resulting in no result.

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Edited by Dev Sharma