3 min readMar 26, 2026 11:15 AM IST
Chennai Super Kings will open this season with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and newcomer Sanju Samson, Gaikwad has revealed before the start of IPL 2026 season. Speaking on the sidelines of the IPL captains’ day event, Gaikwad did not get drawn into conversations about the spot where franchise cornerstone MS Dhoni will play.
The team also has in its ranks Ayush Mhatre, who recently led the India U19 team to the ICC U19 World Cup title. Mhatre was one of openers CSK tried last season, partnering with Devon Conway or Shaik Rasheed. The New Zealand opener was released by CSK ahead of the IPL auctions, where he went unsold. Another New Zealand player, Rachin Ravindra, who also opened for CSK in a few games last season was released by the CSK team and ended up at KKR via the auction.
CSK have traditionally relied on a tried-and-tested formula for their opening pair: one foreign player and an Indian player at the top of the order. They have had stalwarts like Matthew Hayden, Faf du Plessis, Mike Hussey—besides Conway and Ravindra—as their openers in the past.
From the skipper himself 👀@Ruutu1331 reveals CSK’s opening pair at #CaptainsDay 🏏#TATAIPL 2026 👉 Starts 28 Mar, 5:30 PM pic.twitter.com/xOhS4GOmUC
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 26, 2026
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With CSK acquiring Samson in a trade from Rajasthan Royals (with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran headed the other way), it was likely that the man who inspired India to the T20 World Cup with three match-winning knocks would open. But Gaikwad, who usually played in the No 3 position, has also opted to promote himself up the order.
“There is pedigree with Gaikwad and Samson. Pedigree means you making quality runs and sustaining that for a period of time. We must not forget that. For me, I would love to see both of them go hammer and tongs at the opening slot,” Ravichandran Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel late last year. “Both of them have different strengths. One is a caresser of the ball, while the other guy hits it hard so both of those qualities are there. So I will look at it in that fashion that I have two good openers.”
