IPL 2026: ‘Sanju Samson should be captain’- Ex-India cricketer wants CSK to sack Ruturaj Gaikwad

Manoj Tiwary has questioned whether Ruturaj Gaikwad should continue as captain of Chennai Super Kings, suggesting the franchise may need a leadership rethink after another disappointing IPL season.

Speaking on Cricbuzz following CSK’s five-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk, Tiwary pointed towards Gaikwad’s lack of fluency with the bat and said the pressure of succeeding MS Dhoni may have affected both his batting and captaincy.



Gaikwad endured another difficult outing on Monday night, crawling to 15 off 21 balls on a surface where timing was not easy but scoring opportunities were still available. During the powerplay, the CSK skipper managed just nine runs from 11 deliveries and became only the second batter this season to go through the first six overs without hitting a boundary.

His innings once again intensified criticism around Chennai’s cautious approach at the top of the order, especially in a tournament where aggressive starts have become essential.

Tiwary acknowledged that replacing Dhoni as captain was always going to be one of the toughest jobs in the IPL, but insisted Gaikwad should stop trying to live up to comparisons and instead focus on building his own identity.

“You said Ruturaj needs to fill his (Dhoni's) shoes. I feel there isn't any shoe of that size yet. He should focus on building his own legacy, and for that, he has to do extensive research on his past matches and identify where he needs to improve, and only after that can he prepare to be a captain next season. A captain can only be positive when he himself is scoring runs. But he isn't scoring runs. He is lacking that fluency,” Tiwary said.

Gaikwad’s overall numbers this season have added to the scrutiny. The CSK captain has scored 321 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of just 120.67 — a return that has looked increasingly underwhelming in the context of modern T20 cricket.

For most of the season, Chennai’s batting strategy has revolved around Sanju Samson taking the aggressive route early while Gaikwad anchors from the other end. But according to critics, Gaikwad’s refusal to accelerate in games where Samson fails has repeatedly left CSK chasing the tempo of matches rather than controlling them.

The defeat to SRH has now pushed Chennai to the brink of elimination. While they remain mathematically alive, the five-time champions now need to win their final league match and hope other results go in their favour to qualify for the playoffs.

Despite the criticism, Tiwary did identify one major positive from the season — CSK proving they can still compete even without Dhoni actively playing.

“As of now, we know CSK can win matches without Dhoni, but if they change the captain, the wicketkeeper, nothing can replace his absence on the field. But rest assured, it has been confirmed that they can win matches without him. They now need to consider how to build the team,” he added.

Tiwary also hinted that CSK management could seriously consider a captaincy change next season, naming Samson as a potential candidate because of his previous leadership experience with Rajasthan Royals.

“Let's see if he remains the captain next season, because I feel that Samson is in the fray. And it will be a good decision as well. If Chennai brought him for a specific reason, they might see him as a leader. Gaikwad has been the captain for two seasons, and that's why they extended that period this season. But Samson could be the skipper next year. Irrespective of where they finish, they have to decide, and Samson is the best person because he led RR as well and is a good batsman as well,” Tiwary said.

With CSK now staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season, questions around Gaikwad’s batting approach and leadership are only becoming louder.

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