Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni's Successor: Chennai Super Kings traded Sanju Samson for ₹18 crore. The team's head coach has confirmed that Sanju will be MS Dhoni's successor.
MS Dhoni's IPL future as a cricketer is being debated. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has made a significant statement. He revealed who Dhoni's successor will be. It's worth noting that before the IPL auction, the franchise traded for Sanju Samson, in exchange for the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Fleming also discussed the possibility of building a team without Dhoni.
Has Samson come as Dhoni's replacement?
Rumors of MS Dhoni's retirement from the IPL have been circulating since 2021, although he has stated after each season that he will continue playing. Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020 and still plays for the Chennai Super Kings. Although he has relinquished the captaincy of CSK, his batting performance has also declined significantly. Dhoni's agility has also declined since his knee surgery in 2023.
"There was an opportunity for us, we felt our opening batting was a bit weak. And we were also considering that at some point we would have to move on from MS Dhoni," InsideSport quoted Chennai Super Kings head coach Fleming as saying.
MS Dhoni also knows that his IPL career as a cricketer is not long ahead. At 44 years old, Dhoni is preparing himself physically and mentally for next year's tournament.
Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, who played with him at CSK, also believes that MS Dhoni will retire after IPL 2026. He believes this is because the team is now prioritizing young players over experienced ones. CSK acquired two uncapped players, Kartik Sharma (14.2 crore rupees) and Prashanth Veer (14.2 crore rupees), for 28.4 crore rupees for IPL 2026.
Chennai Super Kings Squad 2026 (Retained and Bought Players)
- Anshul Kamboj (retained) – 3.4 crore
- Gurjapneet Singh (retained) – 2.2 crores
- Jamie Overton (retained) – 1.5 crore
- MS Dhoni (retained) – Rs 4 crore
- Mukesh Choudhary (retained) – Rs 30 lakh
- Nathan Ellis (retained) – 2 crore
- Noor Ahmed (retained) – 10 crore
- Ramkrishna Ghosh (retained) – Rs 30 lakh
- Sanju Samson (trade) – 18 crore
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (retained) – 18 crore
- Shivam Dubey (retained) – 12 crore
- Ayush Mhatre (retained) – Rs 30 lakh
- Devald Brewis (retained) – 2.2 crore
- Urvil Patel (retained) – Rs 30 lakh
- Khaleel Ahmed (retained) – 4.8 crore
- Shreyas Gopal (retained) – Rs 30 lakh
- Akeal Hosein (Sold) - Rs 2 crore
- Prashant Veer (Sold) – 14.2 crore
- Kartik Sharma (Sold) – ₹14.2 crore
- Matthew Short (Sold) - 1.5 crore
- Aman Khan (Sold) – Rs 40 lakh
- Sarfaraz Khan (Sold) - Rs 75 lakh
- Matt Henry (Sold) - 2 crore
- Rahul Chahar (Sold) – 5.2 crore
- Zachary Faulks (Sold) - 7.5 million
PC:ABPNews
