Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has made a big revelation regarding the team’s strategy before IPL 2026. He clearly admitted that there will come a time when MS Dhoni will move on from the IPL, and keeping this in mind the franchise has included Sanju Samson in the team.
CSK preparing after Dhoni
There has been speculation for a long time about Dhoni’s future. Although there has been no official announcement regarding his retirement, Fleming indicated that CSK is now working on future plans. He said that the team has to understand how CSK will look after Dhoni.
Why was Sanju Samson elected?
According to Stephen Fleming, succession planning was the biggest reason for CSK’s decision. He told that the team needed strength in the top order and Samson fits perfectly in this role. Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, CSK took a big step by sending Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals and traded Sanju Samson, which is considered to be a blockbuster deal.
Fleming said, ‘We felt that there was a bit of lack in the opening batting and also that at some point MS Dhoni would step forward. In such a situation, it was necessary to bring a player like Samson.
confidence in samson’s ability
Fleming praised Sanju Samson highly and described him as an international level player. 31-year-old Samson has so far scored 4704 runs in 177 matches in IPL, which includes 3 centuries and 26 half-centuries. Fleming believes that Samson will strengthen the team in the role of wicketkeeper-batsman.
He further said that this decision has been taken keeping in mind not just the next two years, but the next six years, so that the team can get new energy and direction.
CSK squad for IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brewis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dubey, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmed, Khalil Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapaneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Chaudhary, Nathan Ellis, Akil Hussain, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zac Foulkes.