IPL 2025: Sanju Samson’s New Journey with CSK Under Ruturaj Gaikwad

After contributing significantly to India’s victory in the T20 World Cup, Sanju Samson is looking at a new chapter in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings team. He has been the skipper of the Rajasthan Royals team in the last few seasons, but now wants to join another team with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the skipper. The problem is that people are not aware of the position that Samson is going to play, especially when MS Dhoni is still in the team, which may hamper his chances of becoming the wicketkeeper.

The new environment at Chepauk is going to prove Samson’s ability to adjust, as well as give him the platform to prove his talents. He already has a strong fan base, and his time with CSK could further boost his popularity in the upcoming season.

Offering his opinion on CSK's decision to include Samson in the team, Anil Kumble emphasized the generational shift in Indian cricket leadership. Kumble said that from one generation to the next, the captaincy in Indian cricket has been passed down from one generation to the next. From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin, then to Virat, and MS Dhoni has also been a part of this era.

Before the era of Dhoni and Virat Kohli, there were players like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, whose charisma still remains. In this regard, Sanju's inclusion in the team is a great step for CSK. The icing on the cake is that his form has been tremendous just before the IPL, and he played a key role in India's World Cup win with three consecutive brilliant innings.

He said that the decision to include Samson in the team wasn't limited to his athletic skills, but also took into account his local connections and cultural affinity. "I am confident this will definitely boost the franchise's fan following. From Chennai's perspective, he fits their needs perfectly. He was born in Kerala, speaks Tamil, so there's a connection. He's a wicketkeeper-batsman, so he's similar to Dhoni, and his experience will prove to be very valuable for CSK."

Kumble further said that Sanju has captained Rajasthan for a long time, so taking on a leadership role is natural for him, and that's exactly what CSK is looking for. Last year, when Ruturaj was injured, Dhoni had to take over the captaincy, and before that, when Ravindra Jadeja was captain, Dhoni had to return mid-season. Therefore, there have been some challenges in deciding who will be the next captain after MS.

Ruturaj was selected for this role, and it's a good thing that despite Sanju's inclusion in the team, he remains the captain. I wouldn't be surprised if Dhoni hands over the wicketkeeping duties to Sanju at any point during the season. He will be part of the leadership group, and if Ruturaj is unavailable due to injury or any other reason, Sanju will likely take over the captaincy in place of MS.