Former South African captain Faf du Plessis feels that Chennai Super Kings made an important decision by signing Sanju Samson before IPL 2026. The 31-year-old had spent 11 of his first 13 IPL seasons with Rajasthan Royals, where he also led the team for the last five years. In an enormous and surprising trade, CSK sent Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to RR in exchange for Samson.
Samson is coming into the IPL after a tremendous ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where he was India’s top scorer with over 320 runs in only five matches and helped the team win the title. Speaking on Star Sports, Faf said that bringing in Samson could help CSK easily move on from MS Dhoni in the long run.
“When it comes to keeping, possibly one other 10 years MS Dhoni goes to play, but after that, another person has to take the gloves eventually. And he can be the guy to do it and just step into that seamlessly,” he stated.
MS Dhoni has been a part of Chennai Super Kings because the very first IPL season in 2008 and has led them to 5 titles. But now at 44, he’s past his prime, and the team is prone to start Sanju Samson as their next wicketkeeper.
“CSK’s real ‘superpower’ isn’t what you think that – Faf du Plessis spills the reality”
Sanju Samson expresses excitement about playing alongside MS Dhoni in IPL 2026. 🤩💛🏏#IPL2026 #CSK #SanjuSamson #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/nWVTq3slCM
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 14, 2026
Faf du Plessis also said that strong opening partnerships have all the time been a key reason behind Chennai Super Kings’ success, which makes signing Sanju Samson a wise move for the subsequent IPL season. Although the precise opening pair is just not decided yet, the team could have a really strong top order with Samson, Aayush Mhatre, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“It’s a very good trade from CSK. When you have a look at the superpowers through the years for CSK, you think that opening pairs. Be it Vijay and Hussey or myself with Watson and Ruturaj, the long-lasting opening stands. This might be one other certainly one of those even with Rutu at 3. But that top three now looks very well balanced when it comes to attacking players,” said Faf (via the aforementioned source).
He concluded:
“The sport at once is in a state where, within the powerplay, it’s essential to have some canons at your disposal that may really take the sport on. So it’s an important signing from a batting perspective.”
Chennai Super Kings are coming off their worst IPL season ever, ending last in 2025 with just 4 wins in 14 matches. They’ve also failed to succeed in the playoffs within the last two seasons, after winning the title in 2023.
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