New Delhi, March 14
Former India batter Suresh Raina believes that Sanju Samson should bat at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2026 season, saying the position would provide balance to the team's batting order.
Samson is coming to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on the back of some great knocks in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, where the wicketkeeper batter scored back-to-back half-centuries in the Super8s match against the West Indies, the semi-final vs England and the Summit clash against New Zealand while opening the innings.
However, despite Samson's great form as an opener, Raina suggested that CSK should open the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre, while placing Samson at No.3 to anchor the batting unit and link the top order with the middle order.
"He was the captain of the Rajasthan Royals for so many years. I think his role will be clear here. Will Sanju Samson or Ruturaj open Matre? Or will Ayush play as number three? If Sanju plays as number three, it will be good according to me, because then Dewald Brevis will come at number four," Raina told Jio Hotstar.
"Shivam Dube will come at number five. At number six, it depends on who you bring. Will Prashant Veer be there? Will Akhil Hussain be there? Will Noor Ahmed be there? It will be important to know how many fast bowlers play overseas," he said.
Raina also backed Samson to take up wicketkeeping duties for CSK ahead of veteran skipper MS Dhoni, highlighting the Kerala-born batter's growing popularity among fans while again insisting that Samson should be placed at number three to guide the innings.
"But Sanju will be there as a keeper. We saw the atmosphere he created when he played in the World Cup. He welcomed everyone there. I think his role will be more important as number three. If you allow Ayush Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad to bat at the top, the middle order looks more experienced and stronger," he said.
"Otherwise, after that, it will be MS Dhoni coming in, and I feel he will only play the last two or three overs. Before that, when Brevis comes in with Sanju, and then Shivam Dube after him, it becomes very important to have a player like Sanju there who brings a different level of experience," Raina added.
Samson has been traded from the Rajasthan Royals to CSK in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran before the IPL 2026 auction. Samson has played 177 IPL matches and scored 4707 runs at an average of 30.95.
- IANS
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