'No one knows RR better than Sanju Samson' - Irfan Pathan believes veteran opener's presence could benefit CSK in their opening game in IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will start their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30, as they take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. There had been a major shuffle between these two teams ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were traded to the Royals by the Men in Yellow in exchange for Sanju Samson.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Samson's presence in the five-time IPL champions' squad will certainly make a lot of difference. Pathan said that Samson, who won the Player of the Tournament award in India's triumphant 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, knows the Royals better than anyone else.

Apart from Samson's recruitment, Pathan was particularly excited to see how the youngsters whom CSK picked in the mini-auction would fare for them this season.

“Sanju Samson’s presence will make a lot of difference for CSK because no one knows Rajasthan Royals better than him. From that perspective, you will get inside information from Sanju about how that team plays, how they approach the Powerplay, the middle overs, their mindset and even their bowling as well," Pathan said while speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Schedule Announcement’.

"All the youngsters in Rajasthan Royals have played with and under Sanju, so he will be a huge advantage for CSK, not just in terms of the form he will carry from the T20 World Cup, but the experience of playing in Guwahati will also come in handy for him in the first game. I am very excited to see how CSK are going to fare this season because they have brought in some very exciting young players," he added.

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CSK are set to be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. On the other hand, the Royals have replaced Samson with Riyan Parag. It will be a great challenge for Parag to lead his troops as the Rajasthan-based franchise looks to win its first IPL title since 2008.