Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the joint-most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the last few years haven't gone according to plan. The side failed to qualify for the playoffs for three consecutive years, and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad also came under heavy criticism for his poor performance in the 2026 edition. The inclusion of Sanju Samson in the squad also led to chatter about whether the franchise should give the captaincy to the wicketkeeper-batter.
CSK has always been known for stability and is not one to take knee-jerk reactions. However, the team has once again been urged to look past Gaikwad and hand the mantle over to Samson.
Former India batter Sadagoppan Ramesh recently urged the CSK management to consider Samson as a captaincy option given his credentials with the Rajasthan Royals. It is worth noting that Samson, the 2026 T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, had joined CSK from the Royals before this year's IPL and went on to become the leading run-scorer for the franchise in the 2026 season.
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"CSK are seemingly considering many options for the captaincy and even wondering whether a change is needed. Sanju Samson should be considered as captain because he’s such a fantastic team player. The CSK captaincy must be changed, and if it is, CSK must seriously consider Sanju Samson,” said Ramesh on his Instagram handle.
{{/usCountry}}"CSK are seemingly considering many options for the captaincy and even wondering whether a change is needed. Sanju Samson should be considered as captain because he’s such a fantastic team player. The CSK captaincy must be changed, and if it is, CSK must seriously consider Sanju Samson,” said Ramesh on his Instagram handle.
{{/usCountry}}“Samson has also captained 66 matches in the IPL and won 33. So he has a 50% success rate. Under him, RR performed well, reaching the final and making another playoff appearance. Of course, CSK need several other things to change, and just making Sanju the captain won’t win them the trophy. But if at all they change captains, Sanju must be strongly considered,” he added.
How did Gaikwad perform?
The right-handed batter had a dismal IPL 2026 campaign, finishing with the worst strike rate among all batters inside the powerplay. He only managed 337 runs at an average of 28.08.
Earlier, former CSK and India batter Subramaniam Badrinath had also said that Gaikwad should no longer be the captain and the player should be advised to focus on his batting and do the best for the team.
“So once you remove him from captaincy, he’ll perform well as a batter. It won’t be a harsh decision if he is stripped of captaincy. It’s more beneficial for the player and the franchise. It’ll only do Gaikwad a world of good. This is not new to him alone. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. If you are someone who is intense and thinks too much, it’s hard to detach from captaincy even while batting,” he had said on his YouTube channel.
CSK are currently in the hunt for a new coach after Stephen Fleming stepped down earlier this year. It's also unclear whether MS Dhoni would play for the franchise in the 2027 season.