Just IN: Chennai Super Kings reveal their captain ahead of IPL 2026 and it's not MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings have named their captain ahead of IPL 2026.

The joint-most successful team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), were one of the hottest talking points on Saturday, 15th November. After announcing trading in Sanju Samson and revealing their retention and release list ahead of the mini auction, the franchise also announced their captain for the next edition of the IPL.

The franchise made the announcement through social media, confirming Ruturaj Gaikwas as their captain for IPL 2026. Ahead of the 2024 season, Gaikwad was first named captain of the side replacing MS Dhoni. However, they failed to make it to the playoffs. In 2025 as well, Gaikwad started as captain. However, he got injured midway through the season and was ruled out. And that’s when, MS Dhoni captained the side.

CSK through X (formerly Twitter), announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain of the side ahead of the 19th edition of the tournament.

The caption read, “LEAD THE WAY, CAPTAIN RUTURAJ GAIKWAD!’

This announcement has also made it clear that Samson has been roped in just as a batter and a possible replacement of MS Dhoni in the future and the franchise is not looking at him as a captaincy prospect.

Chennai Super Kings traded in Sanju Samson ahead of IPL 2026

The five-time champions had a tough outing in the last season where they finished at bottom of league stage. That was the first time that CSK finished at the last spot in the IPL’s history. That made the franchise overlook their combination ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction, which resulted in probably one of the biggest trades in the IPL.

CSK traded in Sanju Samson in place of one of their biggest stars, Ravindra Jadeja, making a bold move. Jadeja, who also led CSK in eight games, was traded to Rajasthan Royals for a revised price of INR 14 crores. Samson’s inclusion ignited the rumours of a new CSK captain for IPL 2026.

However, the franchise has made it clear that Gaikwad will remain the captain and Samson will play as a pure keeper-batter along with MS Dhoni in the side. The franchise has also released 13 players, including Matheesha Pathirana and Ravichandran Ashwin (retired).

Their released list includes some big names like Rachin Ravindra, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, and Sam Curran. Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, and Nathan Ellis are four overseas retentions. CSK will head into IPL 2026 mini auction with a purse of INR 43.4 crores.

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