Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Piyush Chawla is excited by the prospect of Sanju Samson at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 2026
Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Samson will head into the IPL on the back of an excellent T20 World Cup campaign where he was declared the Player of the Tournament. The right-handed batter scored 321 runs in the tournament, which included match-winning knocks in the semi-final and the final to help India secure their third T20 crown.
"Sanju Samson is a match-winner in himself. He proved his doubters wrong with three back-to-back impactful knocks against West Indies, England and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup. CSK will be very happy with his form because Samson has peaked right before the start of the IPL. That is great news for their fans. Coming to Chennai, the way the wicket plays there will definitely suit his game. Opening the innings, his aggressive style will benefit CSK a lot,” Chawla was quoted as speaking on JioStar.
Samson comes to solve CSK’s opening troubles
Chawlabelieves that the arrival of Samson could transform CSK’s season and would bring an X-factor whilst opening the batter, something which the five-time champions missed last time around. To solve their opening woes from last year, CSK traded Samson in from Rajasthan Royal in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
*Last season, they struggled to get quick starts. Only after Ayush Mhatre arrived did CSK start scoring runs in the powerplay. Now, with Samson in, their opening problems will finally be solved. They need that experienced opener alongside Ayush Mhatre. Samson's trade move to CSK is going to be a blockbuster one,” he added.
CSK will look to have a much better campaign in 2026. Last season, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side finished rock bottom with just eight points to their name. The team in yellow will kickstart the 2026 season with an away game against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 in Guwahati.
Chennai Super Kings Complete Schedule for IPL 2026:
| Match No. | Date | Day | Opponent | Venue |
| 3 | March 30 | Monday | Rajasthan Royals | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati |
| 7 | April 3 | Friday | Punjab Kings | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 11 | April 5 | Sunday | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 18 | April 11 | Saturday | Delhi Capitals | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
