Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership qualities are under scrutiny as the five-time IPL winners, one of the most successful IPL teams, are yet to look promising under his captaincy. For now, the team is struggling to maintain much-needed momentum. In the absence of MS Dhoni, the onus of taking the team forward falls entirely on Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, it was believed that Gaikwad’s leadership skills would flourish more with Dhoni on the field. Due to a calf injury, the 44-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman remains out of the field and is yet to play his first match in IPL 2026.
At this point, if the team management wants to think beyond Gaikwad, when the team is in the 7th position with only 2 wins in 6 matches, there is one person who can be trusted the most – Sanju Samson.
Three reasons why Sanju Samson should be the captain of the Chennai Super Kings:
Proven captaincy experience in the Indian Premier League:
Currently CSK star Sanju Samson is the former captain of Rajasthan Royals for several seasons in the league. According to statistics, under his leadership, RR played the most matches. Samson captained the team in a total of 67 IPL matches, in which the team won 33 times and lost 32, with one match being inconclusive. The wicketkeeper-batsman led from the front with 458 runs in the 2022 season, taking the team to its first final since 2008. Cricket legend Shane Warne is the second on the list, who guided the team in 55 games.
“In 2024, he (Sanju Samson) surpassed Shane Warne’s record of leading Rajasthan Royals in the most matches and became the most successful captain in terms of number of wins in 2025. Samson was also the only Royals captain to lead the team to two playoffs in IPL,” according to the franchise’s official website.
Quality performance under pressure situations:
Be it the duty for the Indian team or the IPL team, Sanju Samson delivered several times in pressure situations. In his first match as captain in 2021, he scored a brilliant 119 against the Punjab Kings, becoming the first player to score a century on his debut as an IPL captain. The first match has already recorded a century for the Chennai Super Kings in the 2026 season, which also came amidst a critical moment.
Impactful Leadership Skills:
Samson is well known for supporting emerging cricketers. During his tenure with the Royals, emerging players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag (currently captain of Rajasthan Royals) and Dhruv Jurel were given room to flourish. In fact, Vaibhav Suryavanshi also witnessed Sanju Samson’s leadership.
There are also several young stars in the CSK team such as Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel and Ramakrishna Ghosh. If Samson offers the leadership role, then the team’s merged talents could also get a proven guide and mentor.
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