Ramesh, Badrinath Push for Sanju Samson as CSK Captain
· Sports · Indian Express, Times of India
Former cricketers Sadagoppan Ramesh and Subramaniam Badrinath have publicly backed Sanju Samson as the next captain of Chennai Super Kings, calling for Ruturaj Gaikwad to be stripped of the leadership role. CSK missed the IPL 2026 playoffs for the third consecutive season under Gaikwad, who finished with the lowest Powerplay strike rate among all batters and scored 337 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.08. Ramesh pointed to Samson's IPL captaincy record of 66 matches with 33 wins, including a final appearance and another playoff run with Rajasthan Royals. Badrinath argued that removing Gaikwad from captaincy would free him to focus on his batting and elevate his performance as an opener. Both former players stressed that captaincy change alone will not win CSK the trophy, with broader squad issues needing attention as well.
Why it matters
The captaincy debate has direct implications for CSK's auction strategy, Gaikwad's future role and the value of Samson, who was recently traded from Rajasthan Royals — franchise decisions made over the off-season will shape CSK's IPL 2027 campaign.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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