Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble believes that a leadership role is in the reckoning for Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026. In what was a blockbuster trade deal, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) roped in the Keralam keeper-batter and instead gave RR two all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. CSK’s landscape has changed with the arrival of Samson and Kumble reckons that he could very well be roped into the leadership group straight away.
Sanju Samson to be next CSK vice-captain?
Speaking on JioHotstar’s Game Plan – Know Your Team show, Kumble claimed that the role of vice-captain would be perfect for Samson. For the record, Sanju is no stranger to leading a team from the front as he has captained RR for multiple seasons leading up to his release. If he is named vice-captain, then Samson will serve as deputy to Ruturaj Gaikwad under the watchful eyes of veteran MS Dhoni.
“I think that’s the perfect role for Sanju, handling those responsibilities almost like a vice-captain. He has captained Rajasthan for a long period of time, so that leadership role comes naturally to him,” Kumble said.
Gaikwad was forced to sit out of majority of IPL 2025 due to an injury, which prompted the team management to hand over the reins to MS Dhoni once again. The team finished at the rock bottom of the points table for the first time in the history of the tournament. CSK will be aiming to bounce back strongly in IPL 2026 as they will be eyeing to add a 6th trophy to their cabinet.
CSK IPL 2026 squad
Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel (WK)
All-rounders: Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube
Bowlers: Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
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