‘Perfect Dhoni successor’ named by Kris Srikkanth — and it’s not Ruturaj Gaikwad

Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has fuelled the IPL rumour mill by naming Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson as the perfect successor to MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings — and he has a clear reason why.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Saturday, Srikkanth said Samson’s “brilliant” skills and strong brand presence in Tamil Nadu made him an obvious choice should he leave Rajasthan.

“Sanju is a brilliant player and he is very popular in Chennai. He has got a good brand image in Chennai. I will be the first one to pick him for Chennai if he is willing to leave and comes this side,” Srikkanth remarked, responding to media reports linking Samson with a possible move.


The 64-year-old, however, acknowledged that CSK already have a captaincy option in Ruturaj Gaikwad, who briefly led the team last season before Dhoni returned due to Gaikwad’s injury.

“He is the right replacement for MS Dhoni. Dhoni can maximum play this season, maybe not the year after and then you can have a smooth transition. But I feel if Ruturaj Gaikwad has been given the captaincy, he should be continued with,” Srikkanth said.

Dhoni, 44, is widely expected to be nearing the end of his IPL career. Last season, CSK endured a tough campaign, finishing bottom of the table with just four wins. Used mainly as a finisher, Dhoni scored 196 runs at a strike rate above 135.

RR’s stake in Samson

Addressing reports of a possible rift between Samson and Royals’ head coach Rahul Dravid, Srikkanth said the franchise had built their side around the Kerala-born wicketkeeper-batter.

“I would not let go of Sanju Samson. If they want to promote Riyan Parag as captain, that is their choice. I would still play Samson as a batter. He has been paid Rs 18 crore,” he noted.

Samson, who joined RR in 2013, has scored 4,027 IPL runs, including two centuries. Despite injuries last season, he averaged 35.63 in nine matches.

(With inputs from ToI)