'Don’t think CSK will make the mistake of giving Sanju Samson the captaincy' - Ex-RCB batter’s bold take ahead of IPL 2026

Mohammad Kaif opined that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should not put additional burden on Sanju Samson and hand him captaincy for IPL 2026, as he has just joined the franchise. After spending 11 seasons at the Rajasthan Royals, Samson was traded to the five-time champions in exchange for Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja.

Kaif mentioned that the CSK management should allow Samson to gradually take the role of captaincy, stepping into the shoes of the legendary MS Dhoni.

“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 said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Kaif elaborated on why Samson should not be made captain at this point, mentioning that the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter does not understand Chennai's culture, its fans, and the franchise's dynamics as of now.

“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," the cricketer-turned-expert said.

Kaif added that Ruturaj Gaikwad is the right person to lead CSK at the moment, as he has been with the franchise for a few years and knows how to utilise his bowlers correctly. The former India batter also mentioned that Gaikwad has a better understanding of the pitches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“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.”