Sanju Samson is all set to start a new journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). For the first time since 2018, the Keralam keeper-batter will be a part of a new franchise, after having been traded from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings for a whooping Rs 18 crore. Well, Samson has already established himself as not just an able captain but also an effective wicket-keeper batter over the years in the IPL. With MS Dhoni’s career coming to an end, Sanju might as well be the one to be the legend’s successor in the franchise, and that opportunity begins right from CSK’s game number 1 of IPL 2026 against Samson’s old franchise RR.
Sanju has been confirmed to open the innings for CSK in IPL 2026 by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. This means, he is a certain in the playing XI for all the games, barring any injury concerns. To add to that, Dhoni will not be able to take part in the IPL 2026 till late April as he is recovering from a calf-strain. Let’s talk about the unspoken – Dhoni is at the fag end of his career and while CSK found a captain in the form of Gaikwad to lead the team in the future, a like-for-like replacement wasn’t found so far. Until the arrival of Sanju Samson.
Sanju Samson best to succeed MS Dhoni in CSK?
After amassing 4219 runs, 79 catches and 16 stumpings during his time at RR, Samson will commence a new journey by being a part of CSK in IPL 2026. He is confirmed to keep wickets by CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan as well in MSD’s absence. Besides this, Samson recently bagged the Player of the Tournament honour in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Samson had no idea that he would have a crucial role to play after being snubbed out of the T20 WC opener against USA. He fared rather poorly in the game against Namibia and Zimbabwe, registering scores of 22 and 24. However, it was during the knockout stages and crucial matches where Samson proved his worth. His match-winning knocks of 97*, 89 and 89 against West Indies (in Super 8), England (in the semi-final) and New Zealand (in the final) propelled him to being named the Player of the Series, with 321 runs to his name from 5 innings, averaging 80.25 and boasting of a strike rate of 199.37.
Therefore, Samson will be heading to CSK riding high on confidence, and it is a positive sign for the franchise. With ample runs to his name so far in both international and league cricket, and the ability to strike at will, Samson has the best chance to cement his place as Dhoni’s successor both as keeper and batter in CSK’s line-up.
Make no mistake, Dhoni is one of the best batter and keeper for CSK in the history of IPL. He has 5439 runs from 248 matches and has 158 catches and 47 stumpings to his name, making him one of the best keeper-batters in the Indian Premier League. However, he is 44-years old and is riddled with knee issues although he looks fit otherwise. He can’t bat for many overs either. Therefore, if there is someone who can be considered close to being MS’ successor in CSK, it is none other than Samson who has the perfect blend of talent and expertise.
“With Sanju’s arrival, I feel Dhoni can now say that maybe it is time for him to pass on that baton. But should this have happened earlier? Because I feel that a player like MS Dhoni cannot be just a two-over player. You do not build your legacy like that. So yes, I think the time is right,” Irfan Pathan said on JioHotstar’s IPL Today Live.
There is very little to speak about if Sanju can become CSK’s captain in the future. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been handpicked by the franchise and is surely seen as the future captain for the team in the years to come. Therefore, as far as leadership role is concerned, Samson could at the maximum be made vice-captain while he continues to follow MS Dhoni’s footsteps and direct traffic from behind the wicket, apart from helping the skipper with his insights.
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