MS Dhoni: Former India captain Krish Srikkanth has stated that Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson would be a suitable replacement for MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Srikkanth mentioned that if the 30-year-old is willing to leave the inaugural champions, he would include him in the CSK squad to begin the transition.
MS Dhoni: He, however, added that CSK needed to stick with Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, even if Samson came and played for the five-time IPL champions. Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel ‘Cheeky Cheeka’:
“To tell you the truth, Sanju is a brilliant player and he’s very popular in Chennai. He’s got a good brand image in Chennai. As I said, I’ll be the first one to pick him for Chennai if he is willing to leave and comes this side.”
“He’s the right replacement for MS Dhoni. Dhoni can maximum play this season, maybe not the year after and then you can have a smooth transition. But I feel if Ruturaj Gaikwad has been given the captaincy, he should be continued with.”
MS Dhoni: Reports emerged on Thursday that Samson had officially asked RR to either trade or release him into the auction. He has played for the franchise during two periods, first from 2013 to 2015 and then from 2018 until 2025.
MS Dhoni: Krish Srikkanth says he would not let go of Sanju Samson if he was in Rajasthan Royals camp
Former India captain Krish Srikkanth said that he would not let go of Sanju Samson if he was part of Rajasthan Royals. He felt that the franchise had built the squad around the wicketkeeper-batter, and his departure could raise questions about the team’s balance.
“Going by the paper reports, there seems to be a rift between him and Rahul Dravid, but I am not fully aware. Look at it from a franchise point of view. They have paid him a certain amount and retained him. They have formed the team around him. All of a sudden, if you release him, what happens to the team balance? They haven’t won the IPL since 2008.”
“They have reached the final after that. I don’t think I would let go of Sanju Samson. If they want to promote Riyan Parag as captain, that is their choice. I would still play Samson as a batter. He’s been paid Rs 18 crore,” Srikkanth said.
Sanju Samson only played nine out of 14 matches for RR in IPL 2025. He scored 285 runs at a strike rate of 140.39, and the franchise finished ninth on the points table.
