Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has revealed that Chennai Super Kings will shake up their batting order in the Indian Premier League 2026. On the sidelines of the IPL captains day event, Gaikwad said that Ayush Mhatre will not open for the franchise this season.
When asked about the batting line-up, the ČSK captain said that he will open the innings alongside newly signed Sanju Samson in the upcoming season. This marks a significant change for the five-time champions, who last season trusted youngster Ayush Mhatre to provide quick starts.
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Chennai Super Kings have undergone several changes in their batting order in their dreadful 2025 season. They eventually got rid of Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda from their line-up and brought in new talents – youngsters Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.
Both youngsters have found incredible success on the team and provided the team with some aggressive intent. While Brevis is expected to retain his position at No.4/5 this season, Mhatre may have to drop to No.3 to accommodate senior batsman and World T20 2026 hero Sanju Samson.
Earlier, former CSK player Ravichandran Ashwin talked about how he wanted to see the duo of Ruturaj and Sanju open the innings in IPL 2026.
“There is pedigree with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson. Pedigree means you make quality runs and keep it up for a period of time. We mustn’t forget that. For me, I would like to see both of them go hammer and tongs at the opening slot. Both have different strengths. One is a pet with the ball while the other one of those good hitters is so hard. openers,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.
Chennai Super Kings play their opening match of IPL 2026 season against Rajasthan Royals. The match is scheduled for March 30 at 19:30 IST.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
26 Mar 2026 07:50 IST
