Sanju Samson has expressed his delight about joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and getting the opportunity to play alongside MS Dhoni in IPL 2026. The wicketkeeper-batter has been traded from Rajasthan Royals to the five-time IPL champions for Rs 18 Crore.Samson opened up about his long-standing admiration for MS Dhoni and reminisced about their first encounter. He discussed the challenges of interacting with Dhoni due to the constant presence of fans around the cricket legend.“There’s one person there, everyone knows him. The person called MS Dhoni. I first met him when I was 19 and got selected in the Indian team for the first time. I went for a UK tour Mahi Bhai was the captain,” Samson said on CSK’s YouTube channel. “I saw him for the first time and interacted with him for 10-20 days. After that, I used to see him during the IPL. There will always be a crowd in front of him. Five people here, 10 people there. I used to think, ‘OK, I can’t meet him here, I will have to meet him separately.'” Samson shared his excitement about finally getting the chance to be in the same dressing room as Dhoni, expressing gratitude for this opportunity.“I had such a desire. Destiny has got me to come and play with him in one dressing room. That couple of months. I’m very excited to meet and interact with him. Sit have breakfast with him, practice with him, play with him. Wow! Just thinking about it makes me very happy,” he added. Upon wearing the CSK jersey for the first time, Samson mentioned feeling like a champion. His addition to the team is considered a significant part of CSK’s future strategy as they prepare for the eventual transition beyond MS Dhoni’s era.Samson brings substantial experience to CSK with 177 IPL matches under his belt. His impressive statistics include 4,704 runs, three centuries, and 26 fifties. He also carries leadership experience from his tenure as Rajasthan Royals captain.The trade deal that brought Samson to CSK involved two experienced all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, moving to Rajasthan Royals. According to the IPL’s media advisory, Jadeja’s fee was adjusted from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore as part of the agreement.Samson will continue with his existing league fee of Rs 18 crore at CSK, while Curran maintains his previous value of Rs 2.4 crore at Rajasthan Royals.
