Mohammad Kaif Says CSK Should Not Hand Captaincy To Sanju Samson

Mohammad Kaif said CSK should not rush into giving Sanju Samson the captaincy in IPL 2026 and should allow him to grow into the role gradually.

Mohammad Kaif advised Chennai Super Kings against handing captaincy to Sanju Samson in the Indian Premier League 2026. He felt the wicketkeeper-batter should avoid extra responsibility after joining the team.

Samson moved to CSK after 11 seasons with the Rajasthan Royals. The deal involved Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja. Kaif backed a gradual leadership transition at CSK. He believes Samson can grow into the role over time and follow the path of MS Dhoni. He added that Samson is still adapting to Chennai’s environment. Understanding team culture and fan expectations will take time.

“But I don’t think CSK will make the mistake of giving Sanju Samson the captaincy right now, because he has just joined. You can’t expect him to do everything at once, bat and win matches, keep wickets, and also captain the side. You don’t want to put that entire burden on him. The plan is to slowly let him grow into the role and eventually step into Dhoni’s shoes. That’s the long-term vision,” Kaif said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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“So there won’t be too many changes there. If responsibility has been given to Gaikwad, they won’t rush things. They will back him, and I feel that giving the captaincy to Sanju right now would be the wrong decision. I’ll explain the reason. The reason is that Sanju still doesn’t fully understand Chennai’s culture. He doesn’t yet know the expectations of Chennai’s fans or the dynamics of the players,” he added.

Kaif Backs Ruturaj Gaikwad As CSK Captain

Mohammad Kaif also supported Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. He said Gaikwad has led the side for 3 to 4 years and understands team dynamics.

“Gaikwad has been leading for three to four years. He knows Nathan, like where to use him, when Noor should bowl, when to give him overs, what the batting order should be, and what to do on Chennai pitches after winning the toss. All these finer aspects of the game are things Sanju will learn after spending a year or two here. After that, if you want to hand over the command to him, you can,” he said.