As the excitement builds for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), set to kick off on March 28, the schedule for the initial 20 matches has been unveiled, with more to follow due to state elections. New Chennai Super Kings (CSK) recruit Sanju Samson expressed his eagerness for the chance to play alongside cricketing icon MS Dhoni. “I’ve had conversations with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) over the phone, and the prospect of being on the same team is thrilling. I view this as a fantastic opportunity to learn from him,” he shared.
Samson also addressed his emotions regarding facing his former team, the Rajasthan Royals (RR). “I’m excited to represent CSK and am thankful for the warm welcome from the fans. This will be my first match against Rajasthan Royals, but I won’t let emotions dictate my performance. I departed from RR because I felt my chapter there had concluded. Even when going up against them, I intend to play my best cricket,” the cricketer from Kerala stated.
CSK is set to launch its IPL 2026 journey against RR on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: Full Squads
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
Rajasthan Royals: Ravindra Jadeja, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Milne, Donovan Ferreira (WK), Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh, Shubham Dubey, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao, Kwena Maphaka, Yash Punja, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Singh (WK), Brijesh Sharma.
(With PTI Inputs)