IPL 2026: ‘Sanju Samson should be captain’ – Former India cricketer wants CSK to sack Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, left, and Sanju Samson (PTI Photo) Manoj Tiwary has questioned whether Ruturaj Gaikwad should continue as Chennai Super Kings captain, suggesting that the franchise may need a leadership rethink after another disappointing IPL season. Speaking to Cricbuzz after CSK’s five-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chepauk, Tiwary pointed to Gaikwad’s lack of fluency with the bat and said the pressure from incoming MS Dhoni could have affected both his batting and captaincy. Gaikwad endured another difficult outing on Monday night, crawling to 15 off 21 balls on a surface where timing was not easy but scoring opportunities were still available. During the powerplay, the CSK skipper managed just nine runs from 11 deliveries and became only the second batsman this season to go through the first six overs without hitting a boundary. His innings once again heightened criticism of Chennai’s cautious approach at the top of the order, especially in a tournament where aggressive starts have become essential. Acknowledging that replacing Dhoni as captain will always be one of the toughest jobs in the IPL, Tiwary insisted that Gaikwad should stop trying to live up to the comparisons and instead focus on building his own identity. “You said that Ruturaj has to fill his (Dhoni’s) shoes. I feel there is no shoe of that size yet. He should focus on building his own legacy and therefore he needs to do a big survey of his past matches and identify where he needs to improve and only then can he prepare to be the captain next season. A captain can only be positive when he is scoring goals himself. But he misses Tiwar,” he said. Gaikwad’s total numbers this season added up to scrutiny. The CSK skipper scored 321 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of just 120.67 – a return that looked less and less underwhelming in the context of modern T20 cricket. For most of the season, Chennai’s batting strategy revolved around Sanju Samson going the aggressive route early while Gaikwad anchored from the other end. But according to critics, Gaikwad’s refusal to step up in games where Samson fails has repeatedly left CSK chasing the pace of matches rather than controlling them. The defeat by SRH has now pushed Chennai to the brink of elimination. While they remain mathematically alive, the five-time champions now need to win their final league game and hope other results go in their favor to qualify for the play-offs. Despite the criticism, Tiwary identified one major positive of the season – CSK proved they can still compete without Dhoni actively playing. “As of now, we know that CSK can win matches without Dhoni, but if they change the captain, wicketkeeper, nothing will replace his absence on the field. But rest assured, it has been confirmed that they can win matches without him. Now they have to consider how to build the team,” he added. Tiwary also hinted that the CSK management could seriously consider a change of captain next season and named Samson as a potential candidate due to his previous management experience with Rajasthan Royals.

Should CSK change their top-order batting strategy for the remaining matches?

“We will see if he remains the captain next season because I feel Samson is in contention. And it will be a good decision too. If Chennai brought him for a specific reason, they could see him as a leader. Gaikwad was the captain for two seasons and that’s why they extended this season. But Samson could be the captain next year where he is the best because they led, regardless of Samson leading. RR too and he is a good batsman,” Tiwary said. With CSK now staring at the possibility of missing out on the playoffs for the third consecutive season, questions surrounding Gaikwad’s batting approach and leadership are getting louder.