Sanju Samson has opened up about the surreal feeling of finally getting the chance to share a dressing room with MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings. The wicketkeeper batter, who has been traded to CSK ahead of IPL 2026, said he had always wished to be around Dhoni and now feels destiny has made it happen. Samson joins the five time champions after moving from Rajasthan Royals in a high value trade worth Rs 18 crore.
Before the new season, CSK released an interview featuring Samson where he spoke at length about his admiration for Dhoni. He also recalled the excitement of meeting him as a teenager and how crowded Dhoni’s presence always was, making it tough for young players to approach him easily.
“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. 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 said in a video shared by CSK on their YouTube channel.
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Opens On Playing With Dhoni
Samson further expressed gratitude about the opportunity to be with Dhoni daily during the upcoming IPL season. He said the thought of training, talking and playing alongside the legendary captain excites him immensely.
“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.
Massive Move
Samson’s move to CSK is being viewed as a significant part of the franchise’s long term vision, especially as they plan for life after Dhoni. Having already captained Rajasthan Royals for several seasons and scored 4,704 IPL runs with three centuries and 26 fifties across 177 matches, he arrives with both experience and leadership credibility.
The trade involving Samson also brought major changes for Rajasthan Royals. CSK parted ways with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange, with Jadeja returning to his first IPL franchise and Curran joining RR for the first time. IPL’s media update confirmed that Jadeja’s annual fee was revised from INR 18 crore to INR 14 crore as part of the agreement, while Samson will continue on his existing Rs 18 crore contract at CSK.
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