CSK captaincy could pave the way for Sanju Samson's India leadership: Former teammate

Former UAE captain CP Rizwan feels that if Sanju Samson is handed Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) captaincy, it will also open the doors for India leadership. Samson was acquired by CSK ahead of the IPL 2026 through a player trade, and he had a good season for the Yellow Army, finishing as their highest run scorer with 477 runs from 14 innings.

With CSK struggling to qualify for the playoffs since 2023, there are rumours of a leadership change within the franchise, and Samson is being seen as the front-runner to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. Commenting on the reports, CP Rizwan, who started his cricketing career playing alongside Samson in Kerala, said that he’s a born leader.

“He is always a great leader. So, this captaincy comes as a by-product. If you have leadership quality, more often than not, it follows you. You don't chase captaincy. I am sure he is a leader already within the group in CSK. And it's just a matter of time before he will get that role. And obviously, nowadays, it is very important, I feel, to be considered for Indian captaincy to become an IPL captain,” CP Rizwan told Mr Cricket UAE in an exclusive conversation.

Rizwan mentioned how it has become important for players to have IPL captaincy in order to become India captain.

“I feel not being an IPL captain was, unfortunately, what went against Suryakumar after winning the World Cup. Unfortunately, he was not captain of any IPL team. Everyone forgot what he did two months back. So, I was sure that if Suryakumar is moving on, Sanju could be an ideal candidate for Indian captaincy. But unfortunately, it didn't happen. So, hopefully, CSK will really think about it. Not only in terms of franchise, in terms of the bigger picture of leading India also. That could be a stepping stone for Sanju Samson,” he added.

The former UAE captain also revealed how Samson was disciplined right from his teenage years, which was also reflected in his financial behaviour.

“I’ve seen him way before he became a superstar. We went to South Africa when he was 15, and I was around 21 years of age. We sat close to each other on the flight. He had great discipline even at that time. Now you can see him earning in crores. But his good habits started way back. He used to at least save 90% of the TA (Total Allowance) we used to get as players. And we would spend everything lavishly, you know, in our tours. But he was so disciplined even back then,” Rizwan revealed.

Meanwhile, Samson is in poor form at the international level after his T20 World Cup 2026 heroics, where he was named Player of the Series for finishing as the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer. He could only score 33 runs in his last four innings, including a duck. He will be next seen in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition.