The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the cash-rich league, former Team India cricketer Anil Kumble feels that the inclusion of Sanju Samson is a “great move” for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“Icons from one generation to another, the baton has passed on in Indian cricket, from Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin, then to Virat, with MS Dhoni also part of that era. You had the likes of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly before the shift to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who still carry that aura and continue to perform. In that sense, Sanju coming in is a great move for CSK. The icing on the cake is his fantastic form leading into the IPL and winning the World Cup for India with three back-to-back knocks,” he said.
The former cricketer also feels that Samson being a wicketkeeper-batsman could be a similar mould for Dhoni in the Chennai-based franchise.
“I`m sure that will certainly contribute to the franchise`s fan following. From a Chennai perspective, he fits their need, being Kerala-born, speaks Tamil, so there`s a connect, a wicketkeeper-batter, so in a similar mould to MS, and his experience will be valuable for CSK,” said Kumble.
CSK will begin its IPL 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Full Squads
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
Rajasthan Royals: Ravindra Jadeja, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Milne, Donovan Ferreira (WK), Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh, Shubham Dubey, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao, Kwena Maphaka, Yash Punja, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Singh (WK), Brijesh Sharma.
(With ANI Inputs)
