Chennai Super Kings should not pair up Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad as openers for their first match of the IPL 2026 season against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Monday night, according to former India opener Aakash Chopra.
CSK’s preparations have been rocked in the lead-up to their opening game of the season, with several injuries cropping up in the squad, even ruling out MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis from the season opener. While Dhoni has not travelled with the squad to Guwahati as he continues to recover from a calf muscle strain, Brevis has been ruled out of the Rajasthan fixture due to a side strain.
While Gaikwad had earlier hinted that he would open with the Samson throughout the season, Chopra said that the current injury situation will force CSK to tinker with the combination.
“The big question is that Dewald Brevis is also not there. You have apparently lost Dewald Brevis for the first three or four games. Spencer Johnson is also not there. You took an injured player for an injured player. Nathan Ellis has already been ruled out. MS Dhoni is not there for two weeks. Not even one ball has been bowled and your problems have mounted,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra reckoned that CSK will need to split up Gaikwad and Samson in the top-order and introduce young Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre between them.
“Since Dewald Brevis is not there now, your XI will automatically change, but your order should also change. Ruturaj Gaikwad shouldn’t open with Sanju Samson now. Make Ayush Mhatre open with Sanju Samson and bring Ruturaj at No. 3. I feel you will do wrong if you still open with Ruturaj and Sanju.
“Then you will have Mhatre, Urvil Patel or Sarfaraz Khan, and you will have Dube as the only senior player in the entire batting order after the openers. You don’t want that to happen. So I feel something should be changed. Captain, come at No. 3,” Chopra observed.
