KKR to release Cameron Green, Sanju Samson to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as CSK captain: Ex-NZ star’s bold predictions

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got a massive win over their arch-rival Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 23 at the Wankhede Stadium. Against CSK’s 207, MI managed to get only 104. Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding 101*-run knock.

After the match, former cricketer-turned-cricket expert, Simon Doull, faced multiple critical questions related to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He commented on the leadership of CSK and the future of Cameron Green with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well.

Simon Doull's crucial opinions on CSK

In a “True or False” question-answer video on Cricbuzz, the former cricketer, instead of answering those by saying only true or false, explained each of his questions.

One of the questions was related to the captaincy of CSK. Currently, with the bat, Sanju Samson is far ahead of the skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad. Some of the cricket fans have already started to urge the franchise to hand the captaincy from Gaikwad to Samson.

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Should Chennai consider Sanju Samson as their captain?

Should the CSK management consider Sanju Samson as their future leader? Doull believes that it could be possible in the future.

“Not sure what the future holds or how far down the future. I think they've committed to Ruturaj. So, I don't think Sanju is going to take over the captaincy next year by any stretch. (1:25) But if they had a couple of really lean years and bad years, (1:30) that might be on the cards in the future,” the cricket expert said.

In response to a different question, Doull also stated that Gaikwad’s current form may not be going well enough. But when he gets back his form, the opening pair of Samson and Gaikwad could be dynamic.

“ I think they've still got time, and I still think Ruturaj is a quality player. If he can come right then it becomes a dynamic combination,” he said.

At present, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is the most expensive overseas player in the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought the pace bowling all-rounder for INR 25.20 crore ($2.8 million/AUD4.2 million approx.), making him the third-most expensive player sold at an IPL auction, and the most expensive overseas player ever.

Cameron Green's future with the Kolkata Knight Riders

Green is considered the replacement of Andre Russell, who announced his retirement from the league ahead of the 2026 season. The Aussie star has so far played some good knocks for KKR, but considering the price tag he is carrying, it may not be enough to justify the heavy investment in him. Should the Knight Riders release him? The question is already there among the cricket fans.

Simon Doull also feels that Green’s future with the Kolkata Knight Riders, as of now, is not looking too bright. So, he will not be surprised if the franchise lets go of Cameron Green in the near future.

“Well, it depends on the back half of the season for Cam Green. He will be part of an Ashes setup. So, I would imagine that he won't play much IPL at all next year. So, he might be released,” Simon Doull predicted.

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