• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Ruturaj Gaikwad Named Csk Captain For Ipl 2026 Despite Blockbuster Sanju Samson Trade

Ruturaj Gaikwad named CSK captain for IPL 2026 despite blockbuster Sanju Samson trade

Rajgeeta Yadav

Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead CSK in IPL 2026 [Source: AFP]Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead CSK in IPL 2026 [Source: AFP]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have officially confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue as captain of the team ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, putting an end to rumours that a recent player trade might lead to a change in leadership. 

Over the past few days, there was heavy speculation that Sanju Samson, who has experience captaining the Rajasthan Royals (RR), might take over the role after being traded to CSK. However, the franchise has now made it clear that Gaikwad will remain the skipper.

This update came soon after CSK released their list of retained and released players on Saturday, November 15.

Gaikwad returns as captain after missing most of the IPL 2025 season

As part of a major trade, CSK brought in Sanju Samson in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. The deal is worth ₹18 crore. Samson is seen as a valuable addition, not only because of his batting and wicket-keeping skills, but also because he can provide leadership depth, especially with MS Dhoni expected to retire soon. 

Notably, many believe Samson could be a long-term wicket-keeping option for the team once Dhoni steps away from the game.

It is important to note that Gaikwad missed most of the IPL 2025 season after injuring his elbow. He played only five matches before being ruled out for the entire season. During that time, Dhoni took over the responsibility and stepped in as captain. 

However, the team yellow had a difficult season and finished at the bottom of the table with just four wins from 14 matches.

Earlier in May, Dhoni had publicly stated that Gaikwad would continue to lead CSK in the future. Before his injury in IPL 2025, Gaikwad scored 122 runs in five innings at an impressive strike rate of 150.62.

So far, Gaikwad has captained CSK in 19 matches. Under his leadership, the team has won eight games and lost eleven, giving him a win percentage of 42.10. Although the results have been mixed, CSK appears committed to building the team around him.