Ruturaj Gaikwad set to lead Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 15 (ANI): Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to lead Chennai for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), quashing the rumours about Sanju Samson taking the captaincy role.

In the last edition of the cash-rich league, Gaikwad's campaign was cut short due to an injury, which prompted the management to hand the captaincy mantle to franchise icon MS Dhoni midway through the season.

Dhoni took control of the struggling five-time champions but failed to rescue the Super Kings from finishing at the bottom of the table for the first time in the tournament's history. With Chennai bolstering its squad to challenge for the title once again, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson was acquired through a trade deal.

In return, Ravindra Jadeja moved to Rajasthan, his first IPL franchise, along with Sam Curran. Rumours swirled on social media about Samson potentially being promoted to the top of the leadership ladder.

On Saturday, after announcing the list of retention players, Chennai took to X and announced Gaikwad will continue as the skipper with a post which read, "LEAD THE WAY, CAPTAIN RUTURAJ GAIKWAD".

With the second-biggest purse of Rs 43.4 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs 64.3 crore), CSK will look to add new faces in the auction, scheduled to be held on December 16. The most prominent overseas departures include Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Matheesha Pathirana.

Five-time champions CSK picked Conway for Rs 6.25 crores last year, while they acquired Rachin's services via the right-to-match card option for Rs 4 crores. However, both struggled for consistency and impact in the previous season.

While Rachin scored 191 runs in eight innings with a fifty at a strike rate of 128.18 and averaged 27.28, Conway could score just 156 runs in his six innings at an average of 26.00, with a strike rate of over 131, with two fifties.

Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who was retained for a staggering price of Rs 13 crore before the 2025 mega auction, has been released before IPL 2026. However, in the last edition of the tournament, Pathirana turned out to be a disappointment, finishing the campaign with 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.13.

Retained players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed

Released Players: Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Andre Siddarth, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)