What if Sanju Samson joins CSK; who between him and Ruturaj Gaikwad will become the captain?

Sanju Samson is arguably one of the finest wicketkeeper-batters in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has been a part of the cash-rich league since 2012. At the start, he was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side which won their maiden title. However, the wicketkeeper-batter did not get a game.

Samson moved to Rajasthan Royals (RR) and made his debut in 2013 and established himself as a a phenomenal talent, playing till 2015 for the inaugural champions. When the Royals were banned for two seasons, Samson moved to Delhi Capitals and spent those years there.

However, he returned to the Royals once they made a comeback in the league in 2018. Since then, the wicketkeeper-batter has stayed with the franchise. He was appointed captain of the team ahead of IPL 2021, and under his captaincy, the Royals made it to the finals in IPL 2022 and also reached until the Qualifier 2 in IPL 2024.

However, according to reports, RR could hand their skipper to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026 trade window after they finished second from the bottom of the table this season.

MS Dhoni is still the face of CSK. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who missed most of IPL 2025 due to injury and Dhoni had to take charge once again, is the designated skipper. The Maharashtra batter is set to return as the captain of the side in IPL 2026. However, the addition of Samson, if it happens, could make things interesting.

Ruturaj has been with CSK since the last few years. On the other hand, Samson has become India's first-choice opener in the shortest format and has more experience as a captain. CSK have been known to value loyalty. Dhoni is also a key figure in their decision-making process. The 44-year-old might be asked to share his opinion regarding who should be appointed as the captain.

Ruturaj is 28 years old, while Samson is 30. So, there is not much age difference between the two. Removing Ruturaj as captain after giving him just one full season (2024), where he almost took the team to the playoffs, will not do a world of good to the right-handed batter's confidence. He has been projected as the next superstar of CSK, especially once Dhoni calls time on his playing career.

However, picking Samson in the side would solve a lot of problems for the Men in Yellow as he can be the wicketkeeper-batter they need after Dhoni's retirement.

Will the Kerala cricketer be willing to move to a team where he won't be given captaincy? That's going to be an intriguing aspect to contemplate.