Chennai Super Kings confirm Sanju Samson signing ahead of IPL 2026 auction
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Chennai Super Kings have long been in the hunt for a wicket-keeper batsman, and they have supposedly decided on their future with the Rajasthan Royals skipper, Sanju Samson, who was seen engaging in a fun chat with Ruturaj Gaikwad during the Ranji Trophy match.
The IPL pre-season is already on, and every team is looking to finalize its set of players before the retention date. After which, the teams will likely be exploring their chances among the players who come for bidding in the mini-auction.
CSK have, however, been determined and are looking forward to the availability of one player, that is Sanju Samson, the wicket-keeper opening batter from Rajasthan Royals. Samson has also shown promising form for India in recent times.
CSK hint at Sanju Samson signing ahead of IPL 2026 auction
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— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) October 17, 2025
📸 : JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/HOXR78i8eI
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Maharashtra skipper, has been finalized as MS Dhoni's successor in the IPL. He has been thought of as the long-term skipper of the side and handed the responsibility of carrying forward MS Dhoni's legacy.
Recently, in the Ranji Trophy first round, Ruturaj Gaikwad's Maharashtra was seen taking on the Kerala side, which features Sanju Samson. Gaikwad missed out on a splendid hundred after staging his team's fightback alongside the tailenders.
Sanju Samson also scored a half-century and was the highest scorer for Kerala in the first innings, though they failed to complete the trail by 20 runs. However, Samson and Gaikwad were seen in a carefree moment, smiling with each other. The friendly exchange has made the buzz over Samson's likely move to CSK louder.
Chennai Super Kings eyeing Cameron Green for mini-auction
The Chennai Super Kings finished in the last spot in IPL 2025. One of the core reasons for CSK's failure was their poor middle-order batting. The skipper, who scored some runs at the top, soon was ruled out due to injury, while the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, and Shivam Dube failed to be promising with the bat.
Though CSK bounced back with the newcomers taking control of their batting. Ravindra Jadeja batted diligently at times for CSK this season alongside the youngsters like Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.
The Chennai-based team found a stunning opener in the form of Mhatre and then relied heavily on Brevis for the death overs. They have hence shown interest in all-rounder Cameron Green, since Sam Curran and Jamie Overton failed to produce any impact in the last season.
Green is a promising batter at the death as well and can be promoted to the top of the order. However, the only roadblock is Green's recent injury issues.
MS Dhoni to play IPL 2026; Will Dhoni be used as an Impact sub after the new wicket-keeper's appointment?
While Sanju Samson has been targeted as an Indian wicket-keeper batsman by the Chennai Super Kings, their seasoned wicket-keeper, veteran MS Dhoni, has stretched his stay with the CSK team further.
Under such circumstances, MS Dhoni might be used as an impact sub, the rule that allows IPL teams to call in a batter during the team's batting innings after not having named them in the Playing XI at the start of the game. Considering Dhoni's age, he might no longer take the field for long hours if CSK have a decent wicket-keeper in the side.
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