Chennai Super Kings have constructed their status on stability, however the franchise could possibly be pressured to make some main calls forward of the 2027 Indian Premier League season.The five-time champions have endured a troublesome section, lacking out on the playoffs for 3 successive seasons. Their 2026 marketing campaign was additional difficult by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s struggles with the bat, whereas the arrival of Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals sparked debate over whether or not CSK may contemplate a management change.Though CSK have historically prevented knee-jerk selections, former India batter Sadagoppan Ramesh has now backed Samson to take over the captaincy if the franchise decides to maneuver on from Gaikwad.Samson brings appreciable management expertise from his time at Rajasthan Royals. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was named Participant of the Match on the 2026 T20 World Cup, moved to CSK forward of the 2026 IPL and completed the season because the franchise’s highest run-scorer.Ramesh believes these credentials make Samson a critical possibility for CSK.“CSK are seemingly contemplating many choices for the captaincy and even questioning whether or not a change is required. Sanju Samson ought to be thought of as captain as a result of he’s such a improbable crew participant. The CSK captaincy should be modified, and whether it is, CSK should significantly contemplate Sanju Samson,” mentioned Ramesh on his Instagram deal with.He additionally pointed to Samson’s IPL captaincy file, whereas stressing that altering the skipper alone wouldn’t resolve all of CSK’s issues.“Samson has additionally captained 66 matches within the IPL and gained 33. So he has a 50% success price. Below him, RR carried out effectively, reaching the ultimate and making one other playoff look. After all, CSK want a number of different issues to alter, and simply making Sanju the captain gained’t win them the trophy. But when in any respect they modify captains, Sanju should be strongly thought of,” he added.
Gaikwad’s troublesome 2026 season
Gaikwad’s place has come beneath scrutiny following a disappointing marketing campaign in 2026.The fitting-hander scored 337 runs at a median of 28.08 and likewise recorded the bottom strike price amongst all batters through the powerplay. His struggles added to the questions surrounding CSK’s management forward of the subsequent season.Ramesh is just not the primary former CSK participant to counsel that Gaikwad may gain advantage from stepping away from the captaincy.Former CSK and India batter Subramaniam Badrinath had beforehand argued that Gaikwad ought to be relieved of management duties and allowed to pay attention completely on his batting.“So when you take away him from captaincy, he’ll carry out effectively as a batter. It gained’t be a harsh determination if he’s stripped of captaincy. It’s extra useful for the participant and the franchise. It’ll solely do Gaikwad a world of fine. This isn’t new to him alone. Even greats like Sachin Tendulkar have been affected by captaincy. In case you are somebody who’s intense and thinks an excessive amount of, it’s arduous to detach from captaincy even whereas batting,” he had mentioned on his YouTube channel.CSK themselves have a number of selections to make earlier than the 2027 season. The franchise are at present searching for a brand new head coach after Stephen Fleming stepped down earlier this yr.There’s additionally uncertainty surrounding MS Dhoni’s future, with it nonetheless unclear whether or not the previous India captain will proceed taking part in for CSK within the 2027 IPL.