Chennai Super Kings campaign in IPL 2026 has got off to a disastrous start after the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side lost their second successive match of the season. CSK lost at home to Punjab Kings on Friday, after they failed to defend a competitive total of 209.
Earlier this week in their season opener, CSK had lost to Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. In both the matches, their batting and bowling failed to click in unison.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, former England captain Michael Vaughan and ex-New Zealand pacer Simon Doull suggested that probably CSK skipper Gaikwad is feeling “threatened” by Sanju Samson, the former Royals’ skipper.
“What about the captain, Gaikwad? Do you think he feels threatened (by Samson)?” Vaughan asked Doull.
“Absolutely,” Doull replied.
Samson was traded to CSK from Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The wicketkeeper-batter had previously led the Royals between 2021 and 2025.
“So that’s another kind of dynamic that you’re looking at,” Vaughan added. “(One of the league’s) youngest captains, Gaikwad, he’s done it a bit now and you kind of go, ‘Go on, we’re gonna back you, you’re the captain. But by the way, we’re signing Sanju, who’s a very good captain and he’s a keeper. And guess what? We’ve had a keeper who was a captain for a long period of time and did very well, and we’re gonna try and replace him. But you carry on captaining and hope it doesn’t affect you’.”
Samson is yet to make an impact in the first two games for CSK. Doull wants Samson to find the same confidence that he displayed during India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026.
“Tough challenge for him, and it’s one of those situations you find yourself in when you’re not desperate, but when you want to play for a certain side and you want to put on a show. I mean, he is a South boy, isn’t he? He is a Kerala boy. He wants to put on a show. I think he feels like he’s more at home. In the South, the trade happened; it was a big trade as we’ve talked about-you’ve lost two high-quality players for one player. So the pressure’s quite enormous, the pressure of maybe what they see him as in the future as well. But he has just got to think back to a few weeks ago, doesn’t he? And how was he playing in the last three games (in the T20 World Cup),” said Doull.
