Head coach Stephen Fleming explained how MS Dhoni's The future as a CSK cricketer played a role in the five-time champions' decision to trade Sanju Samson to the franchise in exchange for Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja.
Fleming said that CSK wanted to prepare for life after Dhoni's retirement and this was the reason behind bringing Samson into the team. The Kerala cricketer is just 31 years old, and if he can maintain his form and fitness, he can play for the franchise for at least one more cycle. On the other hand, Dhoni is at the last stage of his career and is currently 44 years old.
“The opportunity was there for us. We felt we were still a bit light with our opening batting. And we were also mindful of the fact that at some point, MS will step up,” Fleming said at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi.
The former New Zealand captain said, “Sanju is an international-class player, and he plays that role very well. So it's succession planning, but also about refreshing the group and seeing what Chennai will look like in six years.”
CSK has always been famous for signing experienced players who have been there and done it all. However, the IPL 2026 auction saw them change their philosophy as they invested heavily in youth with the future in mind.
The Men in Yellow added Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer for Rs 14.2 crore respectively. While Karthik is an explosive wicketkeeper-batsman, Veer is known to hit sixes at will and can also bowl spin. Super Kings have also selected Matt Henry and Akeal Hosein to strengthen the bowling department.
Another strategic choice for CSK was Sarfaraz Khan for just Rs 75 lakh. The Mumbai batsman can also save wickets and will add a new dimension to the lineup. He played a stormy inning of 73 runs in just 22 balls against Rajasthan in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Tuesday.
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